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Firefighters gained a longer containment line around the Mosquito Fire Monday, and it is now 16% contained. There was slight growth today and the fire is currently mapped at 48,700 acres.

The unified command of the Mosquito Fire held their nightly virtual meeting at 7 p.m. and updated the community on everything from power lines to repopulation.

PG&E has been in the fire area pre-treating power lines with a solution to prevent poles from burning. So far they have treated more than 2000 assets. Just over 500 customers are without power.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 34-year-old South Lake Tahoe man died in a single-car collision on Pioneer Trail Sunday evening.

Just before 7 p.m. on September 11, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to a call about a crash near Golden Bear Trail. Upon arrival, they found a 2011 Honda CRV down an embankment with two people in the vehicle.

According to the preliminary CHP report, the driver of the Honda was traveling north when, for unknown reasons, made an unsafe turn, causing the vehicle to traverse into the southbound lane, overturn and end up in a culvert.

“Service Above Self” is the Rotary motto, shared Roberta Stillwell as she took a break from her volunteer duties at Bread & Broth Monday Meal on September 5. Roberta, along with fellow Rotarians Cheryl Cottle, Grace Schorr, and Paul (club president) and Lizzie Thibodeau, proudly represented the Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club at their ‘Adopt A Day of Nourishment’(AAD) on Labor Day.

Update: Zephyr Cove Elementary and Whittell High School are closed due to smoke. Since LTUSD is closed, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe is also closed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With air quality expected to be in the hazardous range Monday, both Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) and Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) have canceled classes for the day.

LTCC said they have to address some internal air quality issues.

PLACER/EL DORADO counties, Calif. - The Mosquito Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe is now 46,587 acres in size and there is a containment line around 10 percent of the 80-mile perimeter.

During their nightly meeting Sunday, fire and law enforcement officials updated the community on the status of operations.

On the law side, the Placer County Sheriff's Office has arrested one person in the evacuated area, and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office has arrested seven. East arrested person was caught committing a crime against an evacuated property, the deputies said.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The heat wave appears to have been broken, or at least put away for the summer, with more seasonal temperatures and weather. Thicker smoke layers from the Mosquito Fire will keep daytime heating in check for some areas as a low-pressure circulation centered over the Pacific Northwest sends a trough into the picture.

Both the El Dorado Community Foundation and the Placer Community Foundation have created Mosquito Fire Relief funds for those impacted by the fire currently burning in both counties. Each fund is collecting financial donations to aid those in need due to evacuation expenses, job impacts, and loss of homes.

Firefighters were able to get a 10% containment line around the Mosquito Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe. The fire has now burned 41,443 acres.

Update: There will be a memory box at the memorial and attendees are asked to bring their favorite Marcia memory to place in the box.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Celebrate the life of Marcia Sarosik on Sunday, October 2, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Harrah's Tahoe convention center.

UPDATE 8 p.m.: The Mosquito Fire has burned 37,326 acres and remains 0% contained. There was a community virtual meeting tonight with more details - https://southtahoenow.com/story/09/10/2022/mosquito-fire-37326-acres-and-burning-el-dorado-and-place....

South Lake Tahoe and the rest of El Dorado County are experiencing heavy smoke and poor air quality conditions due to drift from the Mosquito Fire currently burning in Placer and El Dorado Counties. Wildfire smoke may be intermittent and affect different areas of El Dorado County with elevated levels of particulate matter dependent upon wind direction. El Dorado County Air Quality Management District will continue to monitor the conditions.

UPDATE 9 p.m. Friday: The Mosquito Fire is still being mapped at 29,585 acres with not many updates from fire officials all afternoon and evening. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office held a town hall meeting this evening. Fire officials said with no wind on Friday and low humidity there was no large fire growth and no huge columns of smoke. The inversion layer prevented the fire from growing at an extreme rate as it did on Thursday. The heavy smoke prevented fixed-wing aircraft from dropping retardant Friday but helicopters were able to get in.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With the air quality hovering in the unhealthy range to unhealthy range, officials with the Lake Tahoe Unified School District have been monitoring it.

"As we monitor the air quality, it is high, yet it is holding below 300 in most areas. Schools will be open today, Friday, September 9th on normal schedules. We will continue to monitor throughout the day and provide updates as necessary," said the District on social media Friday morning.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Aiport is getting a new taxi lane in front of the hangars, one of many deferred maintenance projects the City of South Lake Tahoe has been addressing.

The cost will be about $414,000.

Prior to the City Council's approval on Tuesday, there was some question from the public about the expense of a new taxi lane instead of the funds being used on needed road repairs.

FALLEN LEAF LAKE, CA (Sept. 7, 2022) - The nonprofit Clean Up The Lake (CUTL) has launched an expansive underwater clean-up in Fallen Leaf Lake revealing the Tahoe Basin’s dirtiest mile yet. In the history of this small but mighty and often overlooked lake, there has never been an underwater cleanup of this scale.

MARKLEEVILLE, Calif. - Alpine Watershed Group (AWG) is hosting its annual Markleeville Creek Day community workday on Saturday, September 17, 2022. This event allows for the completion of important restoration work through several projects across the Upper Carson River watershed. Volunteers will have the opportunity to plant willow stakes in Hope Valley, remove invasive weeds in Woodfords Canyon, and pick up trash to keep it from ending up in waterways. No experience is necessary.

A special thank you to the staff at Lake Tahoe Golf Course for collecting broken clubs and grips that will be used when teaching visually impaired youth.

Supply issues have left some blind and visually impaired students without white canes to practice mobility skills to travel safely and independently. Traditional white canes can be lost or broken easily as students are learning this important skill. Golf club shafts are the perfect temporary substitute to keep lessons on track until a new cane arrives.

With Labor Day Weekend behind us, the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) and the Palisades Village Neighborhood Company are partnering up for the return of what has become many locals’ favorite annual event. The Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings fundraiser is set to return to the Village at Palisades Tahoe after a two-year lapse (due to COVID and the Caldor Fire). The triumphant return of this popular event will be on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, with music starting at 5 p.m.

UPDATE 9:00 a.m. Thursday: The Mosquito Fire burned actively overnight and is now 6,870 acres in size, with no containment. It is burning near Oxbow Reservoir, 3 miles east of Foresthill, in brush and timber in very steep and rugged terrain. The fire is under unified command with the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and Placer County Sheriff.

Organizers of The Great Race To End Teen Suicide are calling for teams, volunteers, and sponsors for the outdoor adventure event taking place on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at the Sky Tavern Ski Area. The family of Caleb Emil Stenvold has created the race to not only honor the memory of their son but to help end teen suicide. Caleb was 14 years old and a student at Bishop Mangoue High School in Reno when he ended his life in 2020.

This family-friendly event is open to people of all ages.

The Sierra Nevada Alliance’s 2022 conference “Innovation & Opportunity in the Face of Climate Change & Explosive Wildfire” will take place September 15 - 16 at Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, Calif. The keynote speaker will be the honorable Ron W. Goode, chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe. He will open the conference with a blessing, share his view of an alliance, and provide his conservation perspective on the Sierra Nevada.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following is a list of calls the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to during the week of August 22-28, 2022. Location Checks are when officers search an area at a certain address. Transient/Homeless arrests/citations and calls are those normally categorized in other columns (Drunk in Public, Trespassing, etc.) but stats are collected separately.

Log for August 22-28, 2022

8/22

Arrests
None

Other Calls
00:35 Location Check 1000 Block of Johnson Boulevard
01:25 Resisting 1000 Block of Moss Rd

Sherry Ann Fletcher died peacefully at her Carson City home after a courageous battle with Acute Leukemia on August 31, 2022. Born May 8, 1940, in Eugene, Oregon, she grew up in Portland with her family relocating to Hayward, California in Sherry’s senior year of high school.

The Tahoe Women's Community Fund (TWCF) is holding its first wine tasting membership event on Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Maggie's (inside the new Desolation Hotel.

The group will be holding a Wine Evening on the first Wednesday of each month in different locations, then a Coffee Morning on the third Wednesday of each month, also in different locations.

Non-members are encouraged to attend to learn more about the collective giving organization and its vision. Members are also invited - bring a friend!