Forests, campgrounds and day-use areas to close in California and Lake Tahoe Basin

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - All campgrounds and day use areas on U.S. Forest Service land in California and the Lake Tahoe Basin must close at 5:00 p.m. Monday, September 7 due to the unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions and extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit.

The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has announced the following temporary closures and fire restrictions to provide for public safety and reduce the potential for human caused fire starts:

1. Closure of the following National Forests: Stanislaus National Forest, Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest, Inyo National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, Angeles National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Cleveland National Forest.

2. Prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California.

3. Closure of all developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California and Lake Tahoe Basin (including Nevada side).

The closures will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.

Previously, a ban on all outdoor campfires, wood burning fire pits and charcoal barbeques was placed on the entire Lake Tahoe Basin.

Fallen Leaf Lake, Camp Richardson and all other campgrounds on Forest Service land are affected. The City-owned Campground By The Lake remains open and will close for the season in October. The privately run Tahoe Valley Campground, and other private operations can remain open. Check those campgrounds for more information. The closure covers beaches on USFS land such as Pope, Kiva, Baldwin, Taylor Creek Visitor's Center, Tallac Historic Site. (this information is updated from an earlier story)

The areas are closed and cannot be accessed by biking and walking in on trails or roads. The parking lots are closing as of 5:00 p.m. Monday.

The resorts will be closing too, including Meeks Bay, Camp Richardson, Round Hill Pines and Zephyr Cove.

Heavenly Mountain Resort's summer operations were already planned to end on September 7.

These are not evacuations, but precautionary closures.

“The wildfire situation throughout California is dangerous and must be taken seriously. Existing fires are displaying extreme fire behavior, new fire starts are likely, weather conditions are worsening, and we simply do not have enough resources to fully fight and contain every fire,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester for the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region. “We are bringing every resource to bear nationally and internationally to fight these fires, but until conditions improve, and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely, the priority is always to protect the public and our firefighters. With these extreme conditions, these temporary actions will help us do both.”

An example of extreme fire behavior is the Creek Fire on the Sierra National Forest which began on Friday Sep. 4 and grew rapidly on Saturday, Sep. 5. The fire made a 15-mile run in a single day and burned 36,000 acres, prompting evacuations and life saving measures. The California National Guard evacuated at least 200 people from Wagner Mammoth Pool Campground and assessed them for medical needs.

The Forest Service thanks its partners and the public for their cooperation and understanding of this monumental fire threat. It is critical that all Californians and national forest visitors follow these important closures and restrictions for their own safety and the safety of our firefighters.

The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses over 20 million acres across California, and assists forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.