By Paula Peterson
EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – The Caldor Fire burning southwest of South Lake Tahoe is now 122,980 acres and there is a 11 percent containment line. The fire was active in the early portion of the day due to the inversion layer lifting rapidly. The Northeast side of the fire saw the most movement towards US50 and Twin Bridges aided by up canyon winds and spotting distances up to a half mile away. In areas that were in alignment with winds, passive crown fire runs were seen. Throughout the incident spot fires continued to be found with the large spot fire north of US50 growing moderately due to rollout. With the moderate break in weather, crews continued to improve and strengthen containment lines.
During a community meeting Wednesday evening, several different members from the fire’s unified command spoke to the public through Facebook. The planned Zoom portion did not happen due to it being hacked.
The Caldor Fire is the number one incident priority in the nation. What this means is, based on the criteria of infrastructure, lives, and homes affected, the fire gets all the top firefighting aircraft including the DC10, larger helicopters and more crews. They are now headed to El Dorado County to fight the fire.
At this time 2,531 personnel are assigned to the fire but 3,000 to 5,000 personnel could be on the scene by the end of the fire.
Priorities for the fire management team are the west and east ends of the fire. Many of the wineries in El Dorado County, and several communities on the West Slope are still under threat, including Somerset, Mt. Aukum, Fairplay and Pollock Pines. There is a heavy resource commitment to that end as well as the eastern end where the fire is moving and of concern to Lake Tahoe residents.
“We’ve seen different fire behavior over the last several days, but nothing like the big day,” said Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais of the one day when 40,000 acres burned.
On the eastern end, a dozer crew is working to the southeast from US50 while another is working from Omo Ranch. They are about three miles apart but will soon join to make a line of defense. Then crews will work on secondary and contingency lines.
“Stopping the eastern spread of the fire is a priority,” said Incident Commander Jeff Vick of Calfire.
“We want all all residents to remain safe and we are going to keep you safe,” said El Dorado County Sheriff Sgt. Eric Palmberg. “There is plenty of planning and you will be informed if, and when, you need to evacuate.”
An evacuation order is when you have to get out, an evacuation warning is when its time to gather important items and be ready.
The meeting was held to address concerns of Christmas Valley, Meyers and South Lake Tahoe residents along with those living in the Lake Valley Fire Protection District boundaries including Echo Summit to Twin Bridges.
Fire managers stressed the importance of staying informed during the Caldor Fire and to take advantage of all of the resources:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/ is the incident page and is updated each day at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and during the day if there are any changes.
Evacuation order and warning map HERE.
Calfire Amador El Dorado Unit Facebook – daily meetings at 5:00 p.m. and other information – https://www.facebook.com/CALFIREAEU/
Calfire Amador El Dorado Unit Twitter – https://twitter.com/CALFIREAEU
El Dorado County Fire Page – https://edcgov.us/Pages/Caldor-Fire.aspx
City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Page – https://cityofslt.us/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=CALDOR-FIRE-UPDATE-AND-RESOURCES-17
If the area from Twin Bridges to Echo Summit goes into an evacuation order, then a portion of the South Shore would go into an evacuation warning. Exactly where won’t be known until the fire progresses to that point.
Meeting leaders stressed often that they are doing everything they can to keep the community safe. If a fire presents itself into the Basin, it will be a collection plan between several different agencies including law enforcement, fire departments, USFS and Calfire.
“We understand the situation is stressful, its concerning and we are doing everything we can to keep you safe,” said Vick. “We are using all resources to keep you safe.”
“This will end too, we will get through this,” said Lake Valley Fire Chief Brad Zlendick. He asked residents to watch out for others during this time.
“You are a priority, your safety matters,” Marsolais told those watching on Facebook.