fire agencies

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will start enhanced fire restrictions in national forest campgrounds on September 1, 2020 due to dry conditions.

On August 21, fire agencies around the Lake Tahoe Basin banned all open burning utilizing wood and charcoal at homes, parks, beaches and most campgrounds. LTBMU was not part of that original ban.

All areas in the Lake Tahoe Basin are now under these restrictions.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - There is a multi-agency investigation into the cause of the Numbers Fire burning ten miles southeast of Gardnerville. Anyone who happened to be traveling on Highway 395 between Ridgeview and Holbrook Junction on July 6 between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. is being asked to help.

If you can assist in the investigation, please email 2020firetips@gmail.com. All information will be kept confidential.

If ever there was a time to draw on the healing powers of Lake Tahoe, it’s now. The COVID crisis, complete with loss of life and wide-ranging financial impacts, is being compounded by human struggle and a wellspring of social justice demonstrations that are gripping the nation. One of our core values at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is collaboration -- building collaborative relationships to protect Lake Tahoe. I can tell you that Tahoe's successes have not ever come from reinforcing divisions. The imagined “us vs them" simply creates false divides.

This letter is in response to Toni Hall and Tom Yant whose letters were printed on 2/14/20 (“Why I will be voting ‘No’ on Measure B” and “LVFPD needs to budget for equipment from its big lard pot”). I want to begin by saying YES on Measure B!

I have to wonder if either of them contacted Lake Valley Fire Protection District with their questions, as their information is misleading and incorrect. Our Fire District is available to talk with you about Measure B (530-577-3737), or you can go to their website (lakevalleyfire.org).

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation has announced a donation of $18,057 to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) to enhance wildfire suppression capabilities on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. This donation will result in the expansion of strategic and tactical Wildfire Pre Attack plans covering the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. Pre Attack Plans help first responders by identifying critical infrastructure, vulnerable population groups, evacuation routes, water sources, Temporary Refuge Areas, and locations where forests have been thinned before a wildfire strikes.

Fire Fest is returning to the South Shore on Saturday, September 21, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the back of Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. Admission is free and it's a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about safety and conservation.

Helicopters will be the stars this year as they land just outside the venue at the Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe. What an incredible opportunity to get a close-up look at these amazing machines! Crews will be on hand to answer questions and explain how they help us when we need them most.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As we move into the warmest and driest days of summer and early fall, the threat of catastrophic wildfire increases throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. High winds, low relative humidity, and dry vegetation are a dangerous combination. When dangerous fire weather is forecasted, the National Weather Service may issue a Red Flag Warning.

National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week is April 7 through 13, 2019, a time to recognize the many contributions of Animal Services officers, shelter and office staff, and volunteers in El Dorado County.

“Working and volunteering in the animal services field requires a strong passion for helping animals and serving others,” said Henry Brzezinski, Chief of El Dorado County Animal Services. “The work can sometimes be difficult, but we love what we do. We are very grateful for our dedicated staff and volunteers!”

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

Both California and Nevada suffered destructive wildfires last year. Nevada saw 768 fires burn more than 1.3 million acres. California experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history. Just a few hours-drive from Tahoe, more than 40 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in the wine country and North Bay last October. In Southern California, the Thomas Fire ravaged communities and forest lands last December with damaging flooding and landslides piled on after the fire subsided.

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Helicopters, fire trucks, K-9s and demonstrations are just a few of the activities planned for 23rd annual Fire Fest on Saturday, September 30, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe.

Admission is free and the event is a great opportunity for families to have fun while learning about safety and conservation.

What is becoming almost a daily occurrence, firefighters in South Lake Tahoe have responded to another fire in the forested area in the outskirts of the city.

On Wednesday, at 2:11 p.m., an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy spotted smoke and made the first call to 911. The fire started in the area between Lodi Avenue in the Sierra Tract and the Lake Tahoe Airport.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, .18 acre burned. As of 4:00 p.m., there is a full containment line and firefighters remain on the scene.

UPDATE 11AM 8/15: The Shooting Fire is now 80 percent contained and remains non-threatening to structures with a total of 252 acres burned, SFIDC spokeswoman Shannon Brophy said.

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UPDATE 8PM: The Shooting Fire is 40 percent contained with eyes on all fire lines from multiple fire agencies, said Carson City Fire Department spokeswoman Stacey Belt. Mapping has the fire size to be between 200 to 300 acres, she said. Several fire crews will remain on scene to close the containment gap.
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Taking advantage of favorable burning conditions, the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service have planned to conduct prescribed fire operations next week on the South Shore beginning Monday, May 16, 2016.

Burning operations are scheduled to take place in four locations:

Northeast of the Lake Tahoe Airport near Barbara Avenue
Off Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road
Off Panther Lane near the west end of Gardner Mountain
Off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley

Some have jobs. Some have families. Some are recent high school graduates. Some are retired military. Some are college graduates. They are all future firefighters.

One month into the new school year, 33 men and women are part of the tenth class of firefighters being trained at the Lake Tahoe Community College's program, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy. This year's class started with 36 students, but some find out early on how physically demanding the program is and they find it isn't for them.

It was an emotional scene on Thursday morning in South Lake Tahoe as the local community came together with members of multiple fire agencies, the Forest Service and law enforcement to say goodbye to Michael "Mikey" Hallenbeck, the firefighter who lost his life on August 8 while fighting his first fire.

An updated Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be presented to the public during the Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit on Monday, August 24, 2015. This new Community Wildfire Protection Plan was collaboratively developed by the 18 member organizations of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) and is the culmination of a three-year planning effort.

Every year, South Lake Tahoe fire agencies prepare to fight fires around the basin but they rarely get to practice evacuations of residents.

That opportunity came on Monday when the Tahoe Douglas Fire District and Skyland Fire Adapted Community executed an inter-agency wildfire evacuation drill in the Skyland neighborhood.

The drill simulated a real evacuation event to give residents the opportunity to practice evacuating from their homes and getting to the designated safe zone.

The ongoing drought, warmer-than-usual weather conditions and the fuel for fire those conditions produce could lead to a “perfect storm” this summer where multiple states in the West could be having large, simultaneous fires, state and federal fire officials told Gov. Brian Sandoval Monday.

“The system is going to be heavily taxed this year,” said Kit Bailey of the U.S. Forest Service. “We have preparedness levels of one through five and I’m a little concerned that we may get to an unprecedented level, a level six, and that is kind of a worst-case scenario.

Learn about prescribed burns at a South Lake Tahoe open house hosted by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. Team members will be on hand to answer questions about how the agencies plan and implement prescribed fire in the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Open House will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Participating agencies include the Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and Tahoe Douglas and Lake Valley fire protection districts.

5:35 p.m. update: Fire crews are getting a hand on a brush fire that was burning on the valley side of Kingsbury Grade. Hwy 207 is still closed at the top.

Two heavy air tankers, one single engine air tanker and one helicopter responded as well as multiple fire agencies. Containment is expected soon on the fire.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, fire numbers were near six acres and they have reevaluated it to be 1.5 acres. There is no threat to homes or structures at this time.

The, members of the fire-based Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (MAC) and the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), expressed appreciation for the joint Proclamation issued by the Governors of Nevada and California prior to the 17th annual Lake Tahoe Summit held in August.

South Lake Tahoe will celebrate Fire Prevention Week on Saturday with the 19th annual Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe's FireFest, an event hosted by local fire agencies to promote fire education and ...