Lake Tahoe fire operations will continue next week

Over 700 more acres of slash pile still remain to be burned around the Lake Tahoe Basin as part of the California Tahoe Conservancy, Nevada Division of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service fire operations.

Beginning Monday, February 9, 2015, expect to see smoke south of Tahoe City near Sunnyside, Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School, Christmas Valley, Luther Pass near Grass Lake, and Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly. On the East Shore, operations are slated to take place on lower Kingsbury Grade off Easy Street, Logan Creek Drive, the north side of Spooner Summit, Slaughterhouse Canyon and near Memorial Point at Sand Harbor.

Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed how smoke will travel.

Before conducting prescribed fire operations, agencies may post road signs around affected areas and make email or phone notifications. The Forest Service updates the local fire information line at 530-543-2600, #6.