SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – As some residents are now allowed back into their homes, there are still many residents under mandatory evacuation orders. Even those who are allowed home remain under evacuation warnings.
There is also a lot of smoke in the area, with hazardous air conditions in the forecast from not only the Caldor Fire, but also the Dixie Fire. When there is hazardous levels, N95 masks are the only ones to fully protect lungs.
With word of reopening circulating across the country, so has word that South Lake Tahoe is open for business, but this is not an accurate message. Active firefighting operations remain in many neighborhoods and containment is at 50 percent.
“The City of South Lake Tahoe remains under an evacuation warning, which means if conditions change, the City could go back to an evacuation order,” said the City’s Public Information Officer Lindsey Baker. “The Caldor Fire is still being actively fought, with many locations in the city serving as staging areas for responding agencies and we want to ensure safe passage for any first responder vehicles traveling to the directly impacted areas. In addition, roadways into South Lake Tahoe are limited, with only US 50 from Nevada and Hwy 89 from the West Shore open at this time. Though we remain optimistic businesses will re-open and tourism will bounce back, we are currently discouraging tourism to allow for our residents and business to repopulate the city, get prepared to welcome back tourists, and ease back into daily life.”
The U.S. Forest Service still has beaches and forest lands closed, including resorts at Lake Tahoe.
South Lake Tahoe is currently full of fire and law agencies who responded to the Caldor Fire as their mission is not complete.
“The containment thus far the Caldor Fire at South Lake Tahoe has been nothing short of miraculous,” said Carol Chaplin, President & CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority on Tuesday. “Our heartfelt gratitude to the firefighters, first responders and agencies on the ground. The Nevada side residents have returned. Various neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe are in evacuation warning, with hopes that everyone will soon be able to get back into their homes. We are a resilient community and businesses are already working on re-opening plans; however, currently, U.S. Highway 50 is not accessible into South Shore, evacuation warnings are still in place, public lands remain closed, and air quality, while improving, is still not at desirable levels. We encourage visitors to follow Destination Updates for the latest information and official resources.”