evacuation

MEYERS, Calif. - The Upper Truckee Neighborhood is invited to participate in an evacuation drill and fire preparedness meeting on Wednesday, September 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Lake Valley Fire Station 7.

8:45 p.m. Update: The #CountryFire off Highway 193 and Penobscot Road east of Cool in El Dorado County is now 85 acres and 25 percent contained. Evacuation and road closures are still in place.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - A fire burning east of the town of Cool in El Dorado County has burned 75 acres and is 10 percent contained. It is burning off Highway 193 and Penobscot Road and some areas have mandatory evacuations in place.

At 2:50 p.m. Code Red messages have gone out for evacuation notices for the following locations:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be another fire in California, but when and where cannot be predicted and is unknown - but what is known is there will be another community that is devastated by wildland fire.

Residents around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra know this all too well and have been talking about concerns of wildfire threats in and around the Tahoe Basin. Those conversations have turned into plans and the City of South Lake Tahoe has just released an interactive website to help both residents and visitors map out an evacuation plan based on their neighborhood.

Welcome to summer! The solstice officially arrived Friday at 8:54 a.m., welcoming in the longest day of the year. As the snowpack melts away, and the lake fills above rim, we enter the warm and dry months that we relish after winter. As Lake Tahoe’s landscape begins to dry out, wildfire danger will grow.

Our respite from the seasonal dangers of wildfire here in the basin is coming to an end. With temperatures climbing, relative humidity lowering, and afternoon winds blowing across the lake, the basin will become susceptible to wildfire.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, Lake Valley Fire Protection District, CAL Fire, and the US Forest Service will be hosting a community evacuation drill for the Golden Bear Residential Tract on Saturday, May 18. The drill will take place from 8:00 a.m. to about 12:00 p.m.

The following is the second in a series of stories on being a community that is prepared for wildfire.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Vegetation fires are natural and were normal before policies were created to suppress them for fear of uncontrollable and destructive wildfires as seen in the late 1800s. When some of the first residents arrived in Lake Tahoe between the Gold Rush and Silver Strike, it was common to see just six-seven Jeffrey Pines per acre. Trees in the Tahoe Basin were clear cut to provide the lumber for building mines under Virginia City.

With warming temperatures and melting snow, Douglas County is reminding residents of the potential for some minor spring flooding in the months to come. With the spring run-off, citizens could expect to see some road closures on arterial roads such as Mottsville, Centerville Lane, Muller Lane and Genoa Lane.

In preparation for flooding, the Douglas County Stormwater Division has been removing flood debris in river channels with the Carson Valley Conservation District, Carson Water Subconservancy and Nevada Division of Water Resources.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The threat of wildland fires grows in California and the Lake Tahoe Basin every year. They are becoming larger, more destructive and deadly than ever before. Do you know what to do in case of fire?

The public needs to be prepared when wildfire strikes. The Camp Fire in November 2018 was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history to date. It burned 153,336 acres, destroyed 18,804 buildings and killed 85 people. The center of that fire was Paradise, California, They had held city-wide fire drills and appeared to be prepared.

UPDATE at 9:00 a.m. 1/12/19: One man has been arrested in connection with this fire. To see more: http://southtahoenow.com/story/01/12/2019/one-arrested-south-lake-tahoe-honey-oil-explosion

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UPDATE at 8:45 p.m. 1/11/19: The South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue is still on the scene of an earlier fire on Kyburz Avenue. The cause of the fire is under investigation by both the fire and police departments.

New Detective Sgt. Travis Cabral said he did not expect any further updates tonight.

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Four South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue personnel are headed to the growing Camp Fire in Butte County. They are filling an immediate request for help and Engine 3 from south Lake Tahoe will be part of a Strike Team.

Captain Tyler Jack, Engineer Steven Monday, Firefighter/Paramedic Scott Blasser and Firefighter James Berthinier will be on the team.

1:00 p.m. update 9/8/18 - Firefighters now have a containment line around three percent of the boot fire which has now grown to 6,873 acres. US 395 nd SR 108 are now open. For a complete update: http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/08/2018/us-395-and-sr-108-open-near-boot-fire-forest-closed-public
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9:30 p.m. update: The Boot Fire has grown to 4,620 acres with 0 percent containment. Evacuations and road closures continue to grow.

9/4/18 7:30 p.m. update: Firefighters have gained a containment line around 95 percent of the Slide Fire. The total land that has burned remains at 64 acres.
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8:30 p.m. update 9/3/18: The Slide Fire that started around 2:15 p.m. Sunday is now 50 percent contained and has burned 64 acres. The fire was caused after a recreational aircraft crashed one mile southeast of the Winter Creek Lodge in the Slide Bowl area of the Mt. Rose Ski Resort.

It has been confirmed that one person died in the crash. The FAA is investigating the cause of the crash.

There are still several fires burning in California but firefighters have gained the upper hand on many of them.

Ferguson Fire: The Ferguson Fire is now at 96,901 acres with 100 percent containment and 881 personnel currently engaged on the fire. During the most critical time in the fire, over 3,000 people were assigned to the incident from all over the world. There have been 2 fatalities and 19 injuries. 10 structures have been destroyed.

Smoke from fires west of Lake Tahoe is expected to come into the basin again today, but Sunday morning is clear. Here is an update on most fires in Northern California and Western Nevada.

8:00 p.m. update: Omega Fire is 10 percent contained, reported at 80 acres with 1 destroyed residence and two damaged residences. The evacuation center has been relocated to Northside Elementary School, 860 Cave Valley Road, Cool, Calif.

The Bumper Fire is 80 percent contained and it has burned 67 acres according to CalFire.

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Three fires started in El Dorado County Wednesday, prompting law enforcement to evacuate residents from several streets in the areas as firefighters fought the fire from both the ground and the air.

The Perry Fire burning between Reno and Pyramid Lake has now burned 25,600 acres and is now 15 percent contained. It started Friday evening and the cause is unknown at this time.

The Feguson fire burning west of Yosemite continues to send smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin. Since starting on July 13, the fire has consumed 22,892 acres and containment remains at 7 percent. It is burning in steep, hard to access terrain.

Several areas around Highway 140 reamin under mandatory evacuations and evacuation advisories.

2,711 personnel, including firefighters from South Lake Tahoe, are currently engaged on the fire which includes 203 engines, 39 water tenders, 16 helicopters, 58 handcrews, and 41 dozers.

Smoke from the fire is expected for at least the next two days.

9:14 p.m. update: The James Loop Fire was reported at 12:45 p.m. at the James Canyon Development near Carson City, Nevada. Tonight, the fire was mapped at 260 acres and is currently 30 percent contained. The fire was caused by heavy equipment working on a new home under construction The fire burned 163 acres of private and 107 acres of Bureau of Indian Affairs lands, but threatened lands
managed by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The East Fork Fire Protection District was in unified command with the U.S. Forest Service.

UPDATE 11:09PM: A voluntary evacuation order was placed Tuesday night for the Carson Colony area off of Curry Street in South Carson City. The Voltaire Canyon area is also voluntary evacuation. Plans are in the works to open a shelter for those displaced.
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UPDATE 10:54PM: Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said Tuesday night's fire at Voltaire Canyon was started by campers who were burning excrement and toilet paper.

There were two campers detained and were cooperative, said Furlong. There were up to eight individuals who were camping in the area who were taken off the hill.

Several area agencies have teamed up with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue to participate in the 5th annual Wildfire Safety Expo in the TJ Maxx parking lot at the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 9 from noon to 3:00 p.m.

Learn about how planning is the most important tool in staying safe during a wildfire, including creating defensible space and having a home evacuation plan.

There will be informational booths, refreshments and fun activities for the whole family. KRLT-FM will be broadcasting live and Smokey the Bear will be making an appearance.

Both California and Nevada suffered destructive wildfires last year. Nevada saw 768 fires burn more than 1.3 million acres. California experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history. Just a few hours-drive from Tahoe, more than 40 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in the wine country and North Bay last October. In Southern California, the Thomas Fire ravaged communities and forest lands last December with damaging flooding and landslides piled on after the fire subsided.

Sierra Watch, Mountain Area Preservation, and the League to Save Lake Tahoe are celebrating a court decision handed down Monday that halts the controversial Martis Valley West Project, a massive North Tahoe development proposal.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Douglas County, El Dorado County and Washoe County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, paramedics and Blackhawk rescue helicopters all assisted in the location and retrieval of two skiers who went missing at Heavenly Mountain Resort Thursday evening.

Douglas County 911 operators received a call on February 22 at 5:00 p.m. from two male adults who said they were lost at the resort. They said they had some water, but were wet and cold, their cell phone batteries were diminished, and one of the skiers suffered from a medical condition.