fire fighting

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - National Forest trails, trailheads, beaches and other day-use areas in the Lake Tahoe Basin will re-open for day-use only beginning Saturday, Sep. 19, 2020. Camping and overnight stays will not be permitted, and campgrounds will remain closed. Resorts will reopen for day-use only. Emergency Fire Restrictions will remain in effect through Nov. 30. I’ve attached the Forest Orders for your awareness.

The prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California remains in place.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With 367 current wildfires in the state of California, fire fighting resources are spread thin. Calfire If there was a fire in South Lake Tahoe, are you prepared?

Tens of thousands of residents are evacuated from their homes in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Salinas, Grass Valley, Nevada City and other cities in the state. Most of the fires were started by a massive lightning storm over Northern California Sunday where over 10,800 lightning strikes were observed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - National Coffee With a Cop day may be on October 2, but the Starbucks at the "Y" in South Lake Tahoe is going to celebrate the day all week long....and it won't be just for cops.

From open to close, the Starbucks located at 1064 Emerald Bay Road will offer free coffee and pastries to law enforcement and fire fighting personnel, with free coffee for those stopping by to chat. On Monday, some of the officers even stepped behind the counter to make some coffees for patrons.

The following is the third in a series of stories on being a community that is prepared for wildfire.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Fire knows no boundaries, no city, county, or state lines, so why should those fighting the fires be limited by an unseen line? Fire chiefs across the country manage their fire departments based on need and available staff, but what happens when their resources aren't enough to fight a fire in their own backyard?

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.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services held their inaugural Carson Valley Days 5k Walk, Jog Run on Saturday, June 9, and it was a great success with almost 100 participants. All funds raised will go to help the agency' mentoring and support programs.

It was a very windy start to the race, which was held on the Carson Valley Days parade route prior to its start. It wasn't just the weather trying hamper the race, a heavy response from law enforcement and fire fighting personnel
heading to an emergency south of the parade route caused delays for the race.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District christened Marine 24 Monday, giving Lake Tahoe its first year-round firefighting boat.

At a cost of almost $500,000, Marine 24 is able to fight fire from hoses on board as well as hooking up to pipes along lakefront homes in Douglas County and piping water from the lake into water tenders. The boat can send water 300 feet, but their main function will be to pump water into pipes at the shore that water tenders will hook up to.

8:00AM update 10/15: Highway 89 remains closed in both directions from Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Emerald Bay due to the Emerald Fire which remains 80 percent contained this morning. Acreage burned is 210 acres.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There are 3 engines and 12 firefighters still on the scene.

Opening time for Hwy 89 is still unclear. CHP estimates Saturday afternoon and Caltrans estimates the road will be closed until Monday. This is to allow crews to clean up the fallen trees and other debris on, and near, the roadway.

The cause of all the smoke in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Virginia Mountains Complex Fire, has now consumed 36,091 acres of trees and sagebrush north of Reno.

Five separate wildland fires make up the group, including the Anderson (8,511 acres), Sage (4,238 acres), Seven Lakes (3,063 acres), and Tule (20,279 acres) Fires. All five fires were caused by lightning on July 28 and are burning within about 20 miles of each other in an arc about 35 miles north of Reno.

Firefighters were able to gain ground on the fires, now having 35 percent of the fire contained.

5/4/16 11:00 a.m. update: The fire that swept through a Tahoe Keys condo complext on Tuesday caused an estimated $3 million in damage. Seven of the units suffered significant damage and a few other units in the surrounding condominiums have had some water and/or smoke damage. Firefighters arrived after receiving the 1:48 p.m. 911 call, and the fire was contained at approximately 4:10 p.m. Fire fighting personnel remained on the scene until 9:00 p.m.

6:15 p.m. update 9/15/15:

New evacuation advisories were put up at the scene of the large Butte Fire on Tuesday.

The final celebrity jets were taking off from South Lake Tahoe Tuesday, just as the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) welcomed in a Bombardier CL415 firefighting aircraft.

Nicknamed "Super Scooper" because it can scoop up 1,600 gallons of water from a lake and drop it on the front lines of a fire.

6:00 p.m. update 6/29/15

Firefighters made a lot of progress on the fire lines at the Washington Fire south of Markleeville on Monday, gaining containment of 56% of the perimeter. So far, 17,787 acres have burned.

The lightning caused fire grew quickly a week ago, from 30 acres on June 19 to 6,500 acres by June 21.

At one time, over 1,100 fire personnel were working on suppression of the fire. Those numbers were reduced today to 860 as containment grew.

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

The Annual South Lake Tahoe Basin FireFest brought out crowds of all ages to the airport on Saturday, September 28.

This free event that highlighted fire and life safety for children and families. Helicopters, fire trucks, the bomb robot and dozens of fire fighting and emergency personnel were on hand to provide demonstrations as well as the popular hands-on features of the smoke house and squirting fire hoses. Smokey the Bear and Sparky the fire dog were also there to greet the kids.