lake valley fire

I’ve lived in South Lake Tahoe for 22 years, and I’m the Dean of Career & Technical Education and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College. I'd like to share a few stories about students I’ve known through my work at LTCC, and how Measure F will provide new pathways to create many more great stories like these – stories about young people whose lives were changed because of the programs and opportunities available through our local community college.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District's Wildfire Prevention Program has organized a FREE chipping day for City of South Lake Tahoe residents on October 18. With the help of the California Conservation Corp and cooperation from South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, residents can get help with defensible space and slash removal.

In order to participate in the chipping service, homeowners must follow these guidelines:
• Place slash and brush piles adjacent to a driveway or street so the chipper crew can readily have access.

The Lake Valley Fire Department was given a $26,000 grant to clear brush and hazard trees from a 6.5 acre parcel in Meyers. The grant was given by the Forest Service to help reduce the risk of wildfire in Meyers.

The parcel is owned by the California Tahoe Conservancy across from the Tahoe Pine Campground.

Can you survive the next wildfire in Lake Tahoe? Yes, if your community is prepared.

The Lake Tahoe Basin's firefighting agencies and UNR Cooperative Education have come together to promote the "Fire Adapted Community Concept." This type of community has five elements:

1. Community Protection - Well-designed fuelbreaks and safe areas protect the community.
2. Defensible Space - Proper management of vegetation surrounding the home reduces the wildfire threat.
3. Access - Good access helps emergency responders arrive in a timely manner.

Several agencies are coming together on Saturday, June 21st for the first Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe.

The threat of wildfire is extremely high this fire season due to record drought conditions in the West. To provide information on creating home evacuation plans, preparing for fire, creating defensible space, the expo has been created.

The expo will be held in the TJ Maxx parking lot from noon to 3 p.m.

If you live in the Meyers area of the Tahoe basin, your polling location was changed. This change has caught many voters off guard.

You will vote at the California Conservation Corp (CCC). This is the only Meyers location as the Lake Valley Fire Department location is not open this year.

Living in a forest gives great benefits, but it also carries with it the risk of forest fires.

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for South Lake Tahoe is being developed jointly by the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Lake Valley Fire Protection District.

The community is being asked to complete a survey which will help the agencies prepare the CWPP. This will enable the creation of a plan on how the south shore will reduce it's risk of wildfire by identifying strategic sites and methods for fuel reduction projects.

Nine year old Bode Bierdneau of Marin County is credited with saving his father after a snowmobile accident near Blue Lakes in Alpine County on Sunday.

The two were each riding their own snowmobiles when Bode's father, John Taylor (JT), lost control and crashed into a tree and was partially ejected. He was partially trapped under his Skidoo as his left leg became entangled with the machine. Bode dug out his father, but with his dad's femur broken he couldn't walk.

A Wednesday night house fire in South Lake Tahoe has turned into a criminal investigation.

South Lake Tahoe Police officers and fire fighters responded to a residential fire in the 1100 block of Long Valley Avenue at 6:10 pm. They found the home fully engulfed in flames with fire starting to spread to nearby trees, though they were able to contain the fire to the area of the burning home. It appears the house is likely to be a total loss.

The house has received the attention of the police and fire department prior to Wednesday night's fire.

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.

Miss me? I have been working for the last year on The Children’s Memorial Tree and I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to the community of South Lake Tahoe for their support in rebuilding the memorial. I wanted to keep the Skibum as well as my alter ego out of the publicity due to the fact that there would be resistance to the idea from those that do not always agree with my views and I wanted no distractions. We had to play good cop / bad cop with the city in order to push the memorial through and guess which role I played.

A single engine Mooney airplane crashed shortly after take off from the South Lake Tahoe airport at approximately 11:10 AM today.

The plane was observed by numerous witnesses begin to lose altitude after take off, and bank sharply into a wooded area east of the airport. The plane crashed into some large pine trees and flipped over.

The male pilot, Steven Lefton 67 years of age of Palo Alto, CA was killed on impact. His wife, Karen Lefton sustained moderate injuries and was pinned in the wreckage of the plane.

Lake Tahoe Home and Garden Show will be in the Gym at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Complex, 1182 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe Saturday, April 27, 10 am to 6 pm.

Event to feature live music by Fabrizio both days and Cal Poly Pomona Jazz Band Saturday afternoon; landscaping and defensible demonstrations by the South Lake Tahoe and Lake Valley fire departments; door prizes, plenty of vendors and more.

Go here to learn more.

In a world of aerial drones, stun guns and surveillance cameras, an electric eraser doesn’t seem like much of a crime-fighting tool.

For Leona Allen, a spokeswoman for Lake Valley Fire Protection District and certified composite sketch artist, the handheld device is a cherished part of a crime-fighting kit that includes pencils, a blending stump and a sketch pad.

Go here to read the full story.

Firefighters in South Lake Tahoe knocked down a deck fire Jan 12 that was started by hot ash.
Karl Koeppen, shift commander for the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, said minimal damage was done to the structure and interior of the home, located in the Pioneer Village area. The fire burned the deck structure but did not creep into the interior. The residents were allowed to stay in the house after the fire was knocked down.

South Lake Tahoe will not consider consolidating its fire department with Lake Valley Fire Protection District following a Tuesday vote by the City Council.Council members unanimously voted down a ...

With cold weather upon us, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reminds residents to use caution when disposing of woodstove or fireplace ashes. Ashes can remain live and capable of starting a fire for several days, even when they appear to be out.

It has been a very busy week for the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit. Numerous backcountry visitors were caught off guard with the arrival of this weekend’s inclement weather.
Approximately 60 SAR volunteers along with four Sheriff’s deputies responded to 11 different deployments between Friday and Wednesday. Nine of the SAR events were within the borders of El Dorado County while two were in Alpine County.

Merging South Lake Tahoe Fire Department with Lake Valley Fire Protection District got an icy reception from candidates for two South Lake Tahoe City Council seats Wednesday night.
\Discussion of consolidating South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Lake Valley Fire Protection agency re-emerged in March as a possible cost-saving mechanism for the city and El Dorado County.

Firefighters from Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service extinguished a wildfire near Luther Pass Tuesday afternoon. The fire started about 2:15 p.m. south of Big Meadow T...

Investigators looking into the cause and origin of the fire that destroyed two South Lake Tahoe homes last week have determined that the fire was accidental, according to Lake Valley Fire Protec...

A new name and new partnership fashioned after health, recreation and fun; South Lake Tahoe’s inaugural Lake Tahoe Lifestyle Festival drew nearly 2,000 attendees on Saturday, September 8 to Bijou Community Park. This new festival was crafted by Barton Health and the City of South Lake Tahoe to bring children, families and individuals together for health education and non-stop excitement.

10:51PM: Peter Darvas, the South Lake Tahoe artist whose home burned in the fire off of Pioneer Trail on Tuesday, was listed in fair condition at Barton Memorial Hospital on Tuesday night, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

UPDATE 3:27PM: KOLO Reno Channel 8 reports the brother of the registered owner of the Piper that crashed in South Lake Tahoe Saturday night says all five people aboard died. Javier de la Mora says his brother, Francisco de la Mora, of Fresno was in the airplane when it crashed. Francisco's wife and daughter and two other people were on board as well. Go here for the full story.

UPDATE 2:56PM: The City of South Lake Tahoe issued the following news release and photos this afternoon:

A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday, August 25th at 9:48 pm from Lake Tahoe Airport. The crash ignited a fire in the meadow just past the airport off of Winnemucca Avenue. The fire burned approximately one acre and took an hour and a half to extinguish.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department reports that the plane had been heard by witnesses to have apparent engine problems, and was seen to dip downward into the ground while attempting a turn.
According to Federal Aviation Administration, there were multiple victims and no survivors of the crash. The names of victims are not being released until notification of families is confirmed.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those that perished in this tragic accident. Thanks to the quick and cooperative efforts by multiple agencies; the fire caused by this crash was put out quickly,” said Mayor Claire Fortier.
Earlier in the day, the 23rd Annual Lake in the Sky Air Show was held at Lake Tahoe Airport. This plane was not affiliated with the air show in any way.
The location of the plane crash is within El Dorado County limits and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department is the lead agency of this investigation. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board officials arrived on site today to perform an investigation and to identify the cause of the crash.

UPDATE 1:46PM: There are multiple victims to Saturday night's plane crash in South Lake Tahoe, confirmed El Dorado Sheriff's Office Lt. Pete Van Arnum. Investigators were processing the wreckage to confirm how many victims and their identities. Investigators do not believe the victims to be locals from the South Lake Tahoe area, he said. No information concerning the identity of the victims, or the plane will be released until positive confirmation has been made, he said. Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting with the investigation.
***
10:36AM: Lake Tahoe News is reporting that it has exclusively learned from federal authorities that up to five people died in the plane crash on Saturday. Go here for the story. Meanwhile KOLO TV Channel 8 in Reno reports that an FAA official confirmed the plane was a Piper PA32.

UPDATE 6:55AM: A small airplane crashed in the Barton Meadows area in South Lake Tahoe sparking a wildland fire on Saturday night. Presumably there are no survivors. The crash was reported at 9:48 p.m. after the plane took off from Lake Tahoe Airport, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Pete Van Arnum early Sunday morning. Witnesses reported the plane was experiencing engine trouble and was seen moving downward before it crashed into flames, he said.