Fire operations begin Saturday at several South Shore locations

A multi-agency prescribed fire operation begins on Saturday, October 18 as the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has crews from Tahoe Douglas Fire and the U.S. Forest Service at several locations around the lake.

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.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. The TFFT coordinates 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.

Fire areas and days. Smoke should travel in a Northeast direction during the burn days.

20 acres will be burned near Tramway Drive and South Benjamin. The burn days should be October 22-24.

26 acres will be burned north of Tahoma between October 18-20.

1.2 acres will be burned at Sawmill Pond in South Lake Tahoe from October 18 to 20.

17.8 acres will be burned at Angora Creek near Lake Tahoe Blvd between October 18 and 20.

3.7 acres will be burned near Lake Baron in Meyer between October 18-19 burn days.

3.1 acres will be burned off of Elks Club Drive for two days from October 18-20.

25 acres will be burned between October 21 and 24 at Genoa Peak Road.