Small late night fire in Van Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An observant Harrah's Tahoe hotel guest helped firefighters attack a South Lake Tahoe fire late Thursday night, allowing them to catch it early and keep it small.

At 11:45 p.m., South Lake Tahoe emergency dispatch received a call about a fire in the area of the gondola. A guest on the hotel's 19th floor had seen fire and called it in.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) went to the hotel to get the height advantage and better pinpoint where the fire had been seen while South Lake Tahoe Fire Department (SLTFD) headed to Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

Both departments were joined by Lake Valley Fire Protection District and Cal Fire Amador El Dorado Unit at the scene which was 150 yards off the roadway in the park, above the California-Nevada state line marker on the California side.

The mutual aid kept the fire to a 100' x 100' area, or one-tenth of an acre.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by Cal Fire. They said there had been fuels reduction in the area and burn piles were in place, waiting for future prescribed fires. They said the fire was able to keep to the pile and not spread. Cal Fire also said the burn area is known to be a windy spot and there was none Thursday night, helping to keep the fire small.

Cal Fire and the other departments had cleared the scene by 2:30 a.m.