wildland fire

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.
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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.

Fire personnel in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been put on alert for this Sunday because of the possibility of strong winds that could cause a wildland fire to intensify and spread rapidly. Lack of rain or snow has already pushed the fire danger level back to high, and the Forest Service is urging the public to use caution with activities that could start a fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

By Cheva Heck
U.S. Forest Service fire and fuels management crews will be conducting prescribed fire operations in the Andria Drive area off Kingsbury Grade in Stateline, Nev., through the rest of the week. If conditions allow, the Forest Service also may resume operations in the Angora area, focusing on the area below Angora Ridge Rd. and west of Mule Deer Circle. The number of acres will depend on weather conditions and other factors.

Steady wind has pushed large amounts of smoke from a fire burning since Sept. 12 south of Highway 50 near Strawberry into Christmas Valley, Meyers and South Lake Tahoe this afternoon.

El Dorado Forest Service officials report the lightning-caused Long Fire, which has burned about 275 acres in timber and brush, is about 85 percent contained and poses no risk to life or property. The fire is burning at around 7,000 feet in the Packsaddle Pass area, three miles southwest of Strawberry in El Dorado County.

MINDEN, Nev. - Early morning lightning strikes may be responsible for a wildland fire that briefly closed Highway 50 on Thursday morning.Firefighters responded to the report of the blaze 11:10 a...

Update 2 p.m.: Fire crews have contained a fire that broke out this morning near Old Clear Creek Road near the top of Spooner Summit, and Highway 50 has reopened.
The fire was last reported to be about 1.5 acres in size, and there was one home in the area that was threatened. Light winds and cool temperatures helped firefighters get a handle on the blaze, with a helicopter dumping water to help out the hand crews on the ground.