Mud slides down onto Alpine County home of former South Lake Tahoe business owners

ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. - The two days of rain that saturated the Tamarack Fire burn scar last week, causing the town of Markleeville to fill with mud and lose their main artery of SR-89, also caused the hillside to slide into the home of former South Lake Tahoe residents, Larry and Casey Braun.

Several feet of mud came into the Braun home and shop on Horsethief Circle in the Mesa Vista area of Alpine County without warning. The wall of mud, debris, and boulders came down and enveloped their home, their shop, and their fifth-wheel trailer.

Eastern Alpine Fire Chief Terry Hughes told the Alpine County Board of Supervisors Tuesday about the now red-tagged home. He turned off the home's gas and electricity as he surveyed the damage.

"They lost everything," Hughes said.

Casey and Larry lived on the South Shore for many years before moving to Alpine County. Casey worked for Harveys in the late 1970s and later owned Curves at the South Y Center. Larry owned Ponderosa Glass. Since moving to their Horsethief Circle home, Larry, who is 78 years old, has been a glass artist specializing in Lake Tahoe scenes, and Casey, who is 69, has been working for a landscape company.

Insurance is not covering the disaster as it was not a flood, for which the Brauns are covered. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the couple.