Update: Caldor Fire destroys cabins, prompts new evacuations near South Lake Tahoe
Latest update >> Caldor Fire: South Lake Tahoe under evacuation warning as gusty winds pose more risk
The Caldor Fire continued its march Sunday toward the Lake Tahoe Basin, burning cabins near Echo Summit and forcing new evacuations as firefighters braced for heavy winds expected over the Sierra Nevada.
At least four cabins were on fire Sunday afternoon on the north side of Highway 50 near where Aspen Creek Road intersects with the highway, according to a Sacramento Bee photographer on the scene.
Winds were picking up Sunday afternoon and smoke was so heavy that visibility was reduced to a car length along the highway, which has been closed in both directions because of the blaze.
The cabins were burning roughly four miles west of Echo Summit, and smoke poured down and obscured visibility into Camp Sacramento, a popular city-owned recreation area that is roughly 2.5 miles west of Aspen Creek Road.
Late Sunday, Cal Fire issued evacuation orders for communities along Highway 89 on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe, and placed that city — and the rest of the Tahoe shore inside El Dorado County — under an evacuation warning.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag warning to be in place from 11 a.m. Monday to 11 p.m. Tuesday as strong southwesterly winds are expected to move in along the eastern edge of Northern California, including the Lake Tahoe area and the Caldor Fire zone.
The 156,515-acre Caldor Fire has been steadily pushing eastward toward the basin, and Weather Service officials warn that incoming winds gusting to 35 mph could create dangerous conditions for fire crews.
“The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them,” Reno meteorologists wrote in the red flag warning.
Southwesterly winds have been pushing the Caldor Fire from its origin near Omo Ranch northeast toward its current extent just shy of Twin Bridges. Last week, red flag conditions and strong southwesterly winds caused the Caldor Fire to jump Highway 50, which remains closed from Pollock Pines to Meyers.
Highway 88 was also closed on Sunday from Dew Drop in Amador County to the Highway 89 junction. New evacuation orders were put in place along Highway 88 Sunday afternoon in the northeastern corner of Amador County.
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Now, as the Caldor Fire comes within a dozen miles of Lake Tahoe, several historic mountain towns could be threatened.
Isaac Lake, a Cal Fire division chief, said that Sunday will be a critical day in the fight, as it’s expected to be the hottest and driest day since the fire started in mid-August, and the red flag warning beginning Monday poses another “huge area of concern.”
Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Keith Wade, speaking from the east flank of the Caldor Fire as part of a Cal Fire mutual aid team, said that “everything is primed to ignite in this region right now” due to the extreme heat and low humidity.
Despite the incoming red flag weather, Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service crews have made progress. On Saturday, firefighters managed to increase containment on the blaze by 7% and managed to hold containment at 19% Sunday.
In a joint morning status update, Cal Fire and the Forest Service said that overnight conditions moderated, allowing for more direct attack on the blaze.
“Fire activity was limited overnight due the inversion layer settling in, these fire conditions allowed crews to engage the fire directly,” fire officials said in the Sunday update. “Short range spotting and group touching continue with the most active fire activity present in the Northeast and Western sections of the fire.”
Lake said that overnight work was largely a preparation for incoming winds, taking advantage of better weather before it turns. On the east flank of the fire near Strawberry, crews remain poised for structure defense and direct attack. Lake said that no structures in the town have been burned, and crews are are eager to get ahead of winds that could push the fire further northeast.
“The best way to defend structures is to just put the fire out,” Lake said. “We’re working to get as much done as we can before the wind event.”
Wade, speaking from Highway 50 near the site of Camp Sacramento — a camp run by the city of Sacramento that was preemptively evacuated last week — said that crews have prepared for fire advancement toward the campground.
“We have a lot of resources on the ground,” Wade said, although he noted that air support was not an option due to heavy smoke. He said dozer lines have been set up at the camp, vegetation has been cleared by hand crews and some structures have been wrapped with material designed to protect them from radiant heat.
The northeastern flank approaching the Lake Tahoe basin and a northwestern corner near Pleasant Valley remain the most active areas. An additional evacuation order was issued for Pleasant Valley communities Friday due to fire activity in the area.
Thousands of El Dorado County residents remain evacuated from their homes. Much of the county is under mandatory evacuation orders, from Pleasant Valley in the west to Echo Lake in the east. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has an online map with complete information on evacuation orders and warnings.
Lake urged residents who are included in evacuation warnings, but who have not been ordered to leave to be ready to go.
“Give it credence,” he said.
Overnight growth on the fire was moderate, adding only 6,000 acres to the total. Damage assessments for homes and buildings destroyed in the fire are still ongoing. Thus far, 471 homes are confirmed destroyed, along with 11 commercial properties and 170 minor structures, according to fire officials. The fire destroyed much of the town of Grizzly Flats earlier this month.
The Caldor Fire started Aug. 14 near Omo Ranch. A total of 3,531 fire personnel are assigned to the fire, plus 25 helicopters and 329 engines.
A firefighter suffered a burn injury Saturday, Lake said, meaning a total of three have been injured in the blaze. The firefighter’s condition was not known.
Two civilians have been hurt in the fire, according to Cal Fire.
Sacramento-area air quality
Over the weekend, Sacramento’s air quality has been plagued by smoke.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District reported an air quality level of 169 for Sacramento County on Sunday morning. That level is considered unhealthy, and district officials recommend reduced outdoor activity for everyone, and especially those at higher risk.
Monday could show some improvement, as the air quality management district predicts an AQI of 124 for Sacramento County, which would be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
As southwesterly winds move into the area of the Caldor Fire, Cal Fire officials suggest that smoke could blow away from Sacramento.
“This morning we again have smoke on the western side of the forecast area,” officials wrote in a Sunday smoke outlook, but the incoming winds “will continue to transport smoke from the Caldor Fire into the Tahoe Basin.”
The Bee’s Sara Nevis contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Update: Caldor Fire destroys cabins, prompts new evacuations near South Lake Tahoe."
