South Lake Tahoe fire displaces residents of three apartments

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One apartment is a total loss and two others suffered major damage after a Thursday afternoon fire on Terry Lane in South Lake Tahoe.

At 12:07 p.m., South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue responded to a fully engulfed fire in the 3600 block of Terry Lane. Upon arrival, firefighters found a six-unit apartment building with one of the upstairs units on fire.

The occupants of all six units escaped the fire with no injuries after being evacuated by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

The Engine 1 captain did a "full 360" of the apartment building while the firefighting crew attacked the fire. The fire was put out just six minutes after arrival.

Due to the number of homes and apartments in the area, there was a full response by not only SLTFR but also 11 trucks and vehicles from the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD), CalFire, U.S. Forest Service.

The residents of the three upstairs units are without a home for now. The American Red Cross responded to assist the displaced tenants of the building. The other three units of the building can be occupied.

There were no injuries reported in the fire.

The cause is undetermined and is under investigation by the SLTPD with assistance from LVFPD.

"The crew had an excellent stop to the fire, it was great teamwork by mutual aid response," said Incident Commander Battalion Chief Jim Drennan.