fire

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was on this day in 2001 when a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States left 2,996 people dead, over 6,000 injured and causing at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.

South Lake Tahoe joined communities around the country in honoring those who jumped in to rescue the survivors and joined in the fight against terrorism. At the American Legion, firefighters, police officers, veterans and community members gathered for a ceremony hosted by members of the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students and staff at Sierra House Elementary started their first day of school Monday, nine months after a fire caused significant damage to the building and moved students to other locations as work was completed to remove all damaged material and rebuild the inside.

Excitement about the return has been shortlived and shadowed by issues causing authorities to move many of the students back to Al Tahoe Elementary for classes until issues can be resolved on the campus.

Update 10:00 p.m. - One person has died after the tanker truck they were driving on Highway 50 just west of South Lake Tahoe collided with the Upper Truckee River bridge near Elks Club Road.

The preliminary investigation shows that at 11:55 a.m. on Saturday, September 7 the driver of a Toyota Prius was making a right turn from Elks Club Road onto Highway 50 when he pulled out in front of the eastbound truck. According to CHP South Lake Tahoe Commander Terry Lowther, the driver of the Pruis violated the truck driver's right-of-way.

There are many issues facing the West Shore of Lake Tahoe in the coming weeks and months and District V Supervisor Sue Novasel will hold a series of town hall meetings to discuss them. Topping the list are the fire stations operated by the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District, vacation home rentals, the lack of an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy living in the area, County road work, snow removal, and fire insurance.

The first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 11 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Marie Sluchak Community Park in Tahoma.

1:45 p.m. Update - Power has been restored for all customers in North Lake Tahoe.

12:45 p.m. Update - A tree has been found in the primary source line and the backup line is currently being inspected by helicopter. Liberty Utilities has an estimated restoration time of 3:00 p.m. for the over 80 customers affected.

11:40 a.m. Update - Due to fire risk, Liberty Utilities crews must inspect the entire line before energizing the backup power source. The good news is they have commissioned a helicopter to expedite this process and there will have eyes in the air soon.

8:45 p.m. Update: The #CountryFire off Highway 193 and Penobscot Road east of Cool in El Dorado County is now 85 acres and 25 percent contained. Evacuation and road closures are still in place.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A fire burning east of the town of Cool in El Dorado County has burned 75 acres and is 10 percent contained. It is burning off Highway 193 and Penobscot Road and some areas have mandatory evacuations in place.

At 2:50 p.m. Code Red messages have gone out for evacuation notices for the following locations:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Sierra House Elementary School is on track to reopen on September 9. Students at the South Lake Tahoe school were unable to start classes on August 26 with the rest of the kids in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) after their school was not ready after a fire caused major damage on November 11, 2018.

STATELINE, Nev. - The Tahoe Douglas Fire Department is holding their annual Labor Day pancake breakfast on Saturday, August 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Round Hill firehouse.

There is much more on the menu than breakfast:

Tour the firehouse
Take photos with the fire trucks
Play Safety Games
Learn what PASS is and how to use a fire extinguisher
Learn about defensible space
Watch Bomb Squad demonstrations
Dress up like a firefighter
Learn how to properly install a car seat

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Red Flag Warning for Wednesday, August 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for Carson City and the portion of Douglas County in the valley. Also under the warning are other portions of Western Nevada, the Eastern Sierra and the west slope of the Sierra.

The Lake Tahoe Basin does not fall into this warning.

The Red Flag Warning is for thunderstorms and strong outflow winds. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

Expect:

MEYERS, Calif. - At its meeting today, the California Tahoe Conservancy (Conservancy) Board approved a grant of up to $240,286 to California State Parks for forest health management at Burton Creek State Park. Funds for the project come from an earlier grant to the Conservancy from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) for high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For 23 years political leaders from the White House to state capitols have professed their commitment to protecting Lake Tahoe.

At the first Lake Tahoe Summit on July 27, 1997, then-President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore told of their commitment to keeping Tahoe blue after decades of erosion from roads, increased emissions from automobiles and boats, removal of wetlands and overgrown and dying forests were threatening its clarity.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following are the 103 incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Cal-Tahoe JPA ambulances to from August 6 - 14, 2019.

8/6
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 500 block Emerald Bay Rd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 3500 block Rocky Point Rd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 1200 block Al Tahoe Blvd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 2200 block Barton Ave
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 1000 block River Dr

El Dorado County, Calif. - Currently, homeowners in fire-prone areas of California and El Dorado County are starting to see skyrocketing insurance premiums, canceled policies canceled and notices of non-renewal within weeks of a policy's expiration.

Due to the alarming rates at which this is happening, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors reached out to the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to explain the dire situation in the county.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to August 8-12, 2019. There were 253 traffic stops and other calls for service, and 22 arrests.

August 8

ARRESTS (0)

TRAFFIC STOPS (23)

OTHER CALLS FOR SERVICE (41):
Alarm: 3200-block Pine Hill Rd.
Assist Outside Agency: 1000-block Al Tahoe Blvd.
Assist Outside Agency: 3900-block Pioneer Trail
Attempt to Contact: 1000-block Tahoe Island Dr.
Barking Dog: 2600-block Rose Ave.
Battery: 2100-block South Ave.
Brandishing: 800-block James Ave.

7:00 p.m. Update: A fire along Highway 50 Wednesday burned 16 acres after being started when a truck towing a trailer caught fire after having a flat tire at 1:21 p.m. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office evacuated some home in the area when winds took the flames from the highway in towards a neighborhood.

All residents have been allowed to go back home. Firefighters will stay at the scene overnight to patrol and watch for hotspots.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – When risk of catastrophic wildfire becomes too great, local electric utilities may turn off the power for extended periods of time. While your first thought might be eating all the ice cream in your freezer, don’t forget to think about your water use. South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) urges customers to conserve water during power outages to make sure there is enough water to fight a fire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following are the 157 incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Cal-Tahoe JPA ambulances to from July 25 - August 5, 2019.

7/25
Alarm system sounded due to malfunction - 3900 block Saddle Rd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 2600 block Lake Tahoe Blvd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 2200 block Lake Tahoe Blvd
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 900 block Tata Ln
EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury - 4100 block Lake Tahoe Blvd

Last week, a local motel owner told guests there would be no housekeeping because they didn’t have enough staff due to the local housing shortage. However, the issue is fast becoming not only one of supply, but also one of quality. Many homes that fit the "local's" price range are older buildings - built in the 1970s or earlier. Just like our roads, some of these older buildings are in a state of disrepair and as we know with our roads, patchwork repairs only last so long.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be another fire in California, but when and where cannot be predicted and is unknown - but what is known is there will be another community that is devastated by wildland fire.

Residents around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra know this all too well and have been talking about concerns of wildfire threats in and around the Tahoe Basin. Those conversations have turned into plans and the City of South Lake Tahoe has just released an interactive website to help both residents and visitors map out an evacuation plan based on their neighborhood.

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.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As a follow-up to their "Prepare to Evacuate" community meeting, the Tahoe Neighborhoods Group is joining forces to help the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) bring a “Neighborhood Leader Orientation" meeting to South Lake Tahoe.

On August 21 at the El Dorado County Library in South Lake Tahoe from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., TRCD will focus on what it means to be a “Fire Adapted Community” and how neighborhood leaders can organize and hold neighborhood events to ensure that homes and communities are prepared and fire safe if/when a fire occurs.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An observant Harrah's Tahoe hotel guest helped firefighters attack a South Lake Tahoe fire late Thursday night, allowing them to catch it early and keep it small.

At 11:45 p.m., South Lake Tahoe emergency dispatch received a call about a fire in the area of the gondola. A guest on the hotel's 19th floor had seen fire and called it in.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) went to the hotel to get the height advantage and better pinpoint where the fire had been seen while South Lake Tahoe Fire Department (SLTFD) headed to Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

A record 246 people participated in the 36th Tahoe Tennis Classic at Zephyr Cove Park this past weekend. The four-day annual event brought people from throughout the United States to our area for competitive and fun tennis.

The tournament is the biggest fundraiser for the Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation. The nonprofit, all-volunteer organization has a contract with Douglas County to operate the six courts. Responsibilities include resurfacing the courts, managing play, and providing instruction for all ages and abilities.

UPDATE 8/3/19 3:30 p.m.: A Fallon, Nevada man has been identified as the victim in Sunday's fatal motorcycle crash on Kingsbury Grade.

Just before 8:00 p.m. on July 28 Nevada Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched to a serious injury crash on SR-207/Kingsbury Grade one mile up from Lake Tahoe at Douglas County Mile Marker 1.

Preliminary investigation shows that a black 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling eastbound on SR-207. For an unknown reason, the motorcycle overturned and both the driver and passenger were ejected.