Fires covering the west; Lake Tahoe still impacted with smoke and unhealthy air

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Multiple new fires, mostly from last week’s lightning, are causing a drastic decrease in air quality at Lake Tahoe and throughout the state. Another inversion is expected to set up overnight Thursday, and visibility may be impaired due to smoky conditions.

The air quality in all area communities has been around the unhealthy to very unhealthy range for the past two days. As of 3:45 p.m. Thursday, the Air Quality Index in South Lake Tahoe was 195.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's GIS department create a GIS map that tracks smoke and air quality for the next 48 hours. To view, visit https://gis.trpa.org/smokemap/?fbclid=IwAR0tG4vW1fax1G2Ex_fkGsLLs_2aIty7YfABpd36qdVphFvZSFqQOzU3N0U.

Some of the larger fires sending smoke into Lake Tahoe Basin -

W-5 Fire: 4,952 Acres - 20 percent contained. The W-5 Cold Spring Fire is burning about 11 miles east of the Lassen County, CA community of Madeline along Clarks Valley Road. There are no structures threatened or damaged. Habitat for greater sage-grouse has been burned.

Loyalton Fire: 46,617 Acres - 39 percent contained. No additional structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fire. While winds stayed active overnight, they did not hamper the firefighting effort on the Loyalton Fire. Crews worked to connect dozer and hand lines along the southern edge, completing line completely around the fire. However, those lines have not been tested and high winds today could prove challenging. Firefighters will work today to strengthen those lines.

North Complex: 8,600 Acres - zero precent contained. The North Complex is located on the Mt. Hough Ranger District on the Plumas National Forest north of Lake Tahoe and consists of numerous lightning fires being managed as one incident. The fires were ignited during a lightning storm that moved over the Plumas National Forest on the morning of August 17, 2020. Most of the smaller fires (20 acres or less) have been contained but the current larger ones are listed below. Evacuation orders were expanded Thursday at 2:15 p.m.
.....Sheep Fire: 7,000 acres, 0% contained
.....Claremont Fire: 1,500+ acres, 0% contained
.....Bear Fire: 41 acres, 0% contained

There are currently no fires in the Lake Tahoe Basin.