MEYERS, Calif. – The Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) and neighboring agencies responded to a house fire at 1:44 a.m. Friday on Ulmeca Street in Meyers. The home was being remodeled, and one of the crew members was staying there. He heard noises and thought perhaps a bear was trying to break in, so he got up to investigate and instead found a fire. LVFPD Fire Chief John McNamara said the worker was able to get out safely.
Windows in the home were in the process of being replaced, so the extra oxygen from the open space fanned the flames quickly, McNamara said. Fire crews were able to knock down the exterior fire centered on the top floor quickly before it could spread, then went inside to extinguish the interior flames.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and CAL FIRE crews also responded, along with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol.
Two firefighters fighting the fire were transported to the hospital for evaluation and have since been treated and released.
The flames were big enough that the Alert Wildfire camera at Heavenly picked up the fire and sent out an alert. That system does not act as a 911 system, but does inform fire agencies in the area where flames were spotted.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home suffered significant damage.
View from the Alert Wildfire camera at Heavenly:
