The 20 acre Cascade Fire in South Lake Tahoe now 90% contained

9/29/14 update: Heavy precipitation over the weekend allowed firefighters to achieve 90 percent containment of the Cascade Fire near Snow Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. Crews will begin repairing impacts from fire suppression activities and will monitor the fire to detect any renewed activity later this week due to drier, warmer and windier conditions.

Bayview Trailhead and Campground and TaylorCreek Sno-Park on Hwy. 89 have reopened. The cause of the 20-acre fire is under investigation, but it has been determined to be human-caused.

9/26/14 5:45 p.m. update: Firefighters have achieved 20 percent containment of the Cascade Fire near Snow Lake in the Desolation Wilderness and have halted the fire’s forward spread. With significant precipitation in the weekend forecast, the incident commander plans to begin releasing resources tomorrow.

The fire poses no threat to structures. No evacuations and no road closures are in effect. Bayview Trailhead and Campground and TaylorCreek Sno-Park on Hwy. 89 remain closed to facilitate fire suppression operations.

The cause of the 20-acre fire is under investigation, but it has been determined to be human-caused

9/25/14 8:15 p.m. update: The fire burning near Snow Lake in South Lake Tahoe remained at 30 acres for the day. The rain that hit the area helped and the winds are forecast to drop significantly.

The wildfire is located entirely in the Desolation Wilderness and poses no threat to structures at this time. No evacuations and no road closures are in effect, and the Forest Service is working closely with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office to ensure they have the information they need to protect local communities.

The U.S. Forest Service said this will be the last update of the evening.

9/25/14 9 a.m. update: A wildfire above Cascade Lake on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe reported late yesterday afternoon continues to burn, and the size is now reported at 30 acres as of this morning. The fire is burning in the Snow Lake area of the Desolation Wilderness near Emerald Bay. This wildfire is not related to the King Fire currently burning west of Lake Tahoe.

There is no threat to structures at this time. The Forest Service has closed Bayview, Eagle Falls, Tallac, Glen Alpine and Stanford Camp trailheads, as well as Bayview Campground, for public safety and to allow for suppression operations.
Forest Service, CalFire and other agency resources are responding. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but has been determined to be human-caused.
The Forest Service is asking that people traveling through the area refrain from pulling over to view the firefighting operations. Highway 89 is very narrow at that point and lacks sufficient shoulders, so pulling over creates a safety hazard and may hamper fire response.

Original story:

A small wildfire visible from Highway 89 above Emerald Bay on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe was reported Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4:30 p.m. The fire is burning above Cascade Lake in the Snow Lake area of the Desolation Wilderness and is approximately one-quarter to one-half an acre. Forest Service crews along with helicopter-rappellers have responded and are working to extinguish the fire. Crews, supported by a helicopter making bucket drops, are using hand tools, chainsaws and pumps capable of pumping water out of nearby water sources, to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

This wildfire is not related to the King Fire currently burning west of Lake Tahoe.
With the King Fire still burning, the Forest Service is asking people to remember that fire restrictions are still in place in the Lake Tahoe Basin and to abide by those restrictions. Fire restrictions mean that no open fires or campfires are allowed outside of campgrounds with an onsite host. Campfires are never allowed in the Desolation Wilderness, only portable stoves are allowed with a valid campfire permit.