south lake tahoe fire

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An explosion and subsequent fire at a South Lake Tahoe home Friday was the result of a butane honey oil (BHO) processing explosion, according to South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Time is of the essence when fire hits your home. Things can rapidly change from smoke to flames, sometimes giving those inside very little time to get outside to safety.

Even though smoke detectors have been required in new construction and in homes undergoing a remodel for decades, not all homes have working detectors. They are broken, have a dead battery, or missing completely.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An early morning fire damaged the second floor of a South Lake Tahoe home on Springwood Avenue Monday.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue received the emergency call just before 5:00 a.m. December 14. Upon arrival they found a home with heavy smoke coming from the second floor. The homeowners were able to get out safely after trying to extinguish the flames.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) will once again roll its decorated fire engine this holiday season! They announced earlier this week the long standing tradition of the truck going through neighborhoods with Santa on board would not happen due to safety concerns of the pandemic.

SLTFR announced Thursday they wanted to clarify the statement given to South Tahoe Now.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif - It was a true community effort to get the Christmas Tree delivered to the Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe last week. For the third consecutive year, a tree was selected from the South Shore to be on display for the holiday season.

On Monday, November 16, 2020 the 64-foot tree was cut down by Kenny Curtzwiler of K & K Services at 6:30 a.m., lifted by a crane and placed onto a flatbed truck, escorted by South Lake Tahoe Police and CHP, driven to its destination, lifted off the truck and placed into a stand to be decorated.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A burn ban in the Lake Tahoe Basin was put in place this summer in response to the unprecedented and extreme fire conditions in California. While there were no major fires in the Basin there were record setting acres burned across the state.

A ban of charcoal barbeques, wood fire pits and open burning was but in place along with extra bans during Red Flag Warning conditions.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue responded to a fire alarm at Tahoe Valley Elementary school Tuesday morning. A Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) maintenance worker was attempting to repair a heater outside a 4th grade portable classroom. According to Tahoe Valley Principal Christina Grubbs, the heater malfunctioned, causing smoke inside the unit which is outdoors. She said smoke was drawn into the classroom through the air exchange.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The woman who died in Lake Tahoe on Friday, October 9, 2020, has been positively identified as a 30-year-old El Paso, Texas Resident.

According to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO), Daisy Rogers had been on a boat on Lake Tahoe when she went to back of the boat and accidentally fell off. A male adult who was also on board jumped in to save her but was unable to. He was wearing a life preserver but the victim did not have one on.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It will be hard to find someone in favor of taxes, but with them being the reason many things in this world are funded, they are accepted to some degree.

On November 3, the City of South Lake Tahoe will be asking voters for support of a one-cent local sales tax known as Measure S.

11:20 p.m. UPDATE: Power is still out to 301 Stateline customers of Liberty Utilities and six NV Energy customers in the area. South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue responded to Stateline Avenue after smoke was seen coming out through a manhole cover.

The cause of the outage and smoke is under investigation.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Crews from Liberty Utilities are working on a power outage Sunday evening in the Stateline area of South Lake Tahoe, one that is affecting 426 customers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 2020 is turning out to be a year of large fires in California, and the South Lake Tahoe area is not immune from the danger of wildfire. It is very important to be prepared in case you must evacuate.

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Listed below are ways those in the South Lake Tahoe can start to plan, in hopes the plans never have to be used.

If there were just two things residents should know, South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacol said it would be to "evacuate early" and "have a plan."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Al Tahoe neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe has been working on becoming a Fire Wise community, and this weekend's defensible space project took them closer to obtaining this recognition.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and August 23, the Al Tahoe Community will participate in a Neighborhood Clean-up Work Day Event. The two-day event is from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day and is part of their efforts to become a Firewise USA certified district.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and Tahoe Douglas Fire District Zephyr Chipping crews will be in Al Tahoe both days to assist homeowners with creating good defensible space around their properties and will show homeowners how to apply Firewise strategies to reduce wildfire risk.

UPDATE 8/11/20: A 28-year-old man from Napa, California has been identified as the person who died in a tragic boat incident off shore from South Lake Tahoe on Monday. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) Marine unit responded along with South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Coast Guard.

When the call came in around 3:40 p.m., two men were in the water and a third was inside a rental boat. One of the men, David Castorena, had a major injury to his leg and he as not wearing a personal floatation device, or PFD.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 31-year-old woman from Alexandria, Virginia is in a Reno hospital today after suffering severe injuries in a South Lake Tahoe hit-and-run collision.

At approximately 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, first responders arrived in the 3300 block of Pine Hill Road near Keller Road and found the victim laying in the roadway, suffering from severe injuries.

Evacuations are underway after a three fires broke out north of Hallelujah Junction near US395 Sunday afternoon. The highway is currently closed in both directions from the junction with SR70 to Contantia Road.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The smoke filling the Lake Tahoe Basin and Northern Nevada Monday morning is from the Hog Fire burning west of Susanville.

The fire is now 5,800 acres and is 0 percent contained.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has been receiving calls since early this morning about the smell of smoke in neighborhoods throughout South Lake Tahoe.

The cooler nighttime temperatures pushed the smoke down.

The National Weather Service in Reno said a dense smoke advisory is in place for areas closers to Susanville

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe Community College's Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy just graduated its 14th class of firefighters. There were added challenges due to the coronavirus and restrictions on classroom instruction, but with the flexibility of instructors, the state, and the college, the Fire Academy was one of the lucky programs that was able to complete training this year.

Almost all of the following graduating cadets are already employed:

Adam C. Alessi
Melanie O. Andersen
Cody L. Beggs

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council approved unanimously at their meeting Tuesday to send what is being called the "South Lake Tahoe Fire Protection, Emergency Response, City Services Measure" to the ballot in November.

If voters approve the measure, a one-percent sales tax increase will be added in the City of South Lake Tahoe to all taxable purchases to meet funding shortfalls, according to the City.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - During the 2007 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe, there was the tragic devastation of the Angora Fire viewable from the tee box at No. 17. Just a few days before the fire ripped through neighborhoods, destroying 242 homes and burning 3,100 acres.

"The town rolls out the red carpet for us every year and we can't just come there and play," said former NBA great Charles Barkley of his thoughts in 2007.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It wasn't your normal, every day type of call for service that the South Lake Tahoe Police Departments (SLTPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) responded to on Monday night, but it was one of the happier ones.

On June 22, SLTPD officers were notified of some ducklings who were stuck in a storm drain and they called SLTFR Engine 1 for assistance in getting the eight ducklings out. All were removed from the drain and transported to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Multiple agencies responded to a report of a wildfire at Van Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe Friday afternoon about 5:00 p.m.

They were able to jump on the fire quickly, leaving less than 1/4 acre burned.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue, Lake Valley Fire Protection District, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit and the U.S. Forest Service all responded.

Firefighters have completed a hose lay and hand line around the fire and will remain on the scene to mop it up.

The cause is under investigation.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - One man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a three-car collision in South Lake Tahoe Monday evening.

At approximately 7:09 p.m. June 8, South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) responded to the call of a crash on Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Fremont Avenue.

On Thursday afternoon about 4:30 p.m. a fire crew from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) responded to a brush fire at the Christian Science Church near Smart & Final. The crew managed to contain and extinguish the blaze and the church building sustained only minimal damage.

A shopping cart was found near what appeared to be the fire origin and contained what appeared to be personal property. The exact cause of the blaze is unknown but illegal campers have been a continuing problem in that area.