Firefighters make headway against Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe
Favorable weather conditions on Thursday finally gave firefighters battling the massive Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe a break, with the raging wildfire now 25 percent contained.
The fire, which forced officials to evacuate more than 22,000 residents from South Lake Tahoe this week, has now scorched more than 210,000 acres — the equivalent of about 330 square miles, CalFire reported Thursday.
Crews fighting the flames said wind gusts that had fueled the fire in recent days subsided on Thursday, raising hope that it can be brought under control.
“We lost the winds aloft,” meteorologist Jim Dudley told USA Today. “It’s a good day to not have gusty winds up on the ridges.”
However, officials cautioned that the blaze remains a threat to the resort and surrounding areas and “terrain-driven winds” could still present a problem for firefighters.
As of Thursday, the flames had destroyed 622 homes and 12 commercial buildings in the area, and another 32,000 structures were at risk of being engulfed, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Jaime Moore, among hundreds who make up the state’s inter-agency firefighting crew, said several out-lying buildings near the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort were damaged late Wednesday, the paper said.
“They did lose some outbuildings,” Moore said. “But the main lodge was not damaged.”
The head of the fire also continued to creep toward the Nevada state line, with the eastern flank of the wildfire of particular concern.
Meanwhile, President Biden declared a state of emergency in California amid the spread of the Caldor Fire and other major wildfires in the Golden State.
The move frees up federal assistance to aid local first responders battling the blaze.
