Evacuees from South Lake Tahoe sent to new evacuation center

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As the first evacuees on the South Shore from Christmas Valley and Meyers were sent away from their homes due to the Caldor Fire, the only evacuation center was set up by the Red Cross at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center.

As of Tuesday night, that no longer became an option for Tahoe residents and those housed there were sent to the Reno Sparks Convention Center. Douglas County had to make room for its own evacuees along with those from Alpine County.

"On August 31, 2021 the Red Cross notified the Douglas County Community and Senior Center that the original group of evacuees from the Caldor Fire would need to be relocated to another shelter to provide space to allow incoming Douglas County evacuees the opportunity to remain in their local community due to mandatory evacuations in the State of Nevada," Douglas County said in a press release. "Moving displaced evacuees was done out of necessity as shelter needs for people and their pets continues to evolve as the Caldor Fire continues to move into Nevada."

The Douglas County Community and Senior Center is currently open only to Douglas and Alpine County residents. The Douglas County Fairgrounds is actively sheltering small and large animals.

There is no evacuation center in the local community for South Lake Tahoe residents that is easily accessible. Those on the west slope in El Dorado County require a drive to I80, to Highway 49 and onto US50. From South Lake Tahoe the normally 60-minute drive is now over four hours and two hundred miles.

When contacted, South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace hadn't been informed of the situation and quickly looked into it. She said CalOES (California Office of Emergency Services) wanted to get the South Lake Tahoe area residents into one central location that accepted their pets and kept separate from Douglas County residents for better tracking. The Reno Sparks Convention Center fit those needs as they expanded to accommodate residents and pets.

"They are an incredible partner," said Wallace of CalOES. "They've been looking for pet-friendly motels and shelters for evacuees."

The Reno evacuation site is located at 590 S. Virginia St., Reno.