Smoke from prescribed burns moving into Lake Tahoe basin

Smoke from prescribed burns moved into the Lake Tahoe basin on Monday, worrying many that there was a nearby out of control fire. Two huge plumes of smoke over the Sierras could be seen from Placerville during the afternoon.

Approximately 5,100 acres of National Forest land are slated to be burned this fall, winter and spring according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

Most of the smoke seen Monday was from Mokey Bear, where they are burning 360 acres just east of Lumberyard on Highway 88, and Iron Trap Project, which will see 1,365 acres burned on Mormon Immigrant Trail, one mile in from Highway 88. (In the picture above, the Mokey Bear fire is to the right, and the larger smoke plume is from Iron Trap, to the left).

On Friday, USFS announced widespread prescribed burns around the lake by both their agency and area fire departments, with the following local areas being burned: Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District - 25 acres near Hwy 50/Kingsbury Grade; North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District - 9 acres at Second Creek Drainage; North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District - 16 acres at Third Creek Drainage; California State Parks - 103 acres at Burton Creek State Park; U.S. Forest Service - 122 acres near Grass Lake Rd in Christmas Valley.