Sunday night update: Caldor Fire loses some containment, now at 13% and 168,387 acres

Five thousand more people were evacuated Sunday afternoon after the Caldor Fire made a run for the ridges to the east. It has burned 168,387 acres and containment dropped to 13 percent due to the increase in fire's size at the east/northeast end.

Evacuation orders were issued for Christmas Valley and parts of the South Shore, with warnings extending to Emerald Bay.

According to Calfire, the fire made a "significant run" to the east and northeast" sides today with extreme fire behavior observed.

Today saw a significant increase in dynamic fire behavior resulting in rapid fire spread. Critical fuel conditions and the alignment of up-slope canyon winds increased extreme fire behavior in the early morning. The afternoon wind speeds produced spotting distances from ¾ to one mile. Active crown fires and group torching was present in multiple areas of the fire, presenting challenging conditions for crews.

"The impact on Lake Tahoe Basin is now more likely along with the corresponding social, political, economic concerns. Additional resource needs are critical to the defense of lives, property and critical infrastructure," said Calfire in its nightly Incident Status Summary.

Evacuation orders, warnings and road closures

Additional evacuation warnings and orders were issued in multiples counties late this afternoon.

Evacuation Order:

El Dorado County

• Christmas Valley from Highway 89 West to Echo Summit
• Highway 89 due West to Watershed Ridge/Echo Summit and South to the Amador/El Dorado County line.
• The area from Luther Pass Road, north along the El Dorado/Alpine County line to Armstrong Pass. West from Armstrong Pass to Upper Apache at Meyers. West on Upper Apache to Highway 50. West on Highway 50 to Highway 89. South on Highway 89 to the El Dorado/Alpine County line. This includes all homes on both sides of Highway 89.
• The area from Upper Apache at Meyers, north along Highway 50, to Elks Club Drive. East on Elks Club Drive to Pioneer Trail, extending due south to Upper Apache at Meyers.
(This includes all homes off of Oneidas, Mandan, Apache, Ottawa and Player).
• The area North on Highway 50 from Highway 89 to Saw Mill Road. West on Saw Mill Road to Angora Ridge, extending to the Echo Summit.

Alpine County
• Highway 89 South from Luther Pass Road to Pickets Junction (Highway 88)
• West on Highway 88 to Kirkwood

Road Closures:
• The Highway 50 closure has been extended East to Sawmill Road
• Highway 50 at Sawmill
• Pioneer Trail at Elks Club
• Elks Club at Highway 50
• Highway 89 at Highway 88 junction
• Fallen Leaf at Tahoe Mountain

Evacuation Routes:
El Dorado County
• Residents evacuating the area should use Highway 50 East or Highway 89 North.

Alpine County
• West on Highway 88 to Northbound 89 to Eastbound Highway 50

Evacuation Warning:
El Dorado County
• The area from Sawmill Road at Lake Tahoe Blvd. extending north to Pope Beach. Along the water’s edge to Eagle Point. From Eagle Point west, to Desolation Wilderness, across Emerald Bay.

Evacuation Shelter:
Nevada
• A Red Cross Shelter is open for those evacuating from the area at the Douglas County Community Center, 1329 Waterloo Lane, Gardnerville, NV.

NOTES:
Please go to: www.tinyurl.com/EDSOEVAC for an online evacuation map.

The Numbers

Size: 149,684
Containment: 19%
Civilian Injuries: 2
First Responder Injuries: 2
Structures Threatened: 21,451
Single Residences Threatened: 20,000
Multiple residences Threatened: 931
Businesses Threatened: 520
Structures Damaged: 39
Single Residences Destroyed: 472
Commercial Properties Destroyed: 11
Other Minor Structures Destroyed: 170
Evacuated: 35,011
Estimated incident costs to date: $63,829,545
Personnel on the fire: 3,531
Engines: 329
Water tenders: 78
Helicopters: 25
Handcrews: 73
Dozers: 77
Other: 29
Air Tankers: Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.