SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Click HERE for Tuesday's story on the Caldor Fire. Below are updates from Monday, Aug. 30.
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More than 53,000 people have been forced from their homes across El Dorado, Amador, and Alpine counties as the Caldor Fire ravages the area. The numbers come after evacuations around the Tahoe Basin on Monday, which included all of South Lake Tahoe. Other residents were told to be ready to leave as crews continue to deal with a two-week-old blaze southwest of the alpine lake straddling the California-Nevada state line.
Caldor Fire survivors are now spread at shelters, campgrounds, hotels and with loved ones across the region. Some have decided to evacuate to Cal Expo, where they've been staying for weeks in the RV park.
Teresa Tobin was one of the many to leave home in Somerset with the Caldor Fire just miles away. She left alongside her three teenagers, husband and dog. She said her home is still standing.
“We took a picture from our deck at night and you can see the bright orange sky off in the background and having never been through anything like that before, it was obviously very scary,” Tobin said.
In a Caldor Fire update, fire officials said the fire has made its way down to the Christmas Valley area and Meyers. Officials said the fire was not necessarily impacting structures at this time, but a large contingent of resources have been placed in the area.
ABC10's Van Tieu took a photo of the fire off in the distance looking down Highway 89 towards Christmas Valley. Tieu reported that a spot fire breached Tahoe Basin in Christmas Valley. She took video of the fire, looking east of Highway 89 about half a mile from homes and a Caltrans maintenance station.
In an update Monday afternoon, Operations Section Chief Cody Bogan said the fire also crossed Highway 88 and is pushing up toward the Kirkwood area. Bogan said the fire was in the "dog leg" of the Highway 88 corridor.
Another active fire area was along the Highway 50 corridor into Echo Lake, where Bogan said crews were involved in a rough firefight. He said the fire was running out of fuel on the north piece of the fire and is slowing down in that area. Crews also got some aircraft involved in the fight as crews chased spot fires.
ABC10's Brandon Rittiman reported that there was intense fire along Highway 50 on the Tahoe side of Echo Summit that involved cabins and torching.
After 3 p.m., Cal Fire officials announced that some evacuation orders had been reduced and some evacuation warnings were lifted for some parts on the southern reaches of the fire. Orders for Cement Hill, Farnham Ridge and Pipi areas were reduced to warnings. Fire officials said the area was not touched by the fire and had no fire damage.
The National Weather Service also expanded the expiration of a Red Flag Warning to 11 p.m. Wednesday for the greater Lake Tahoe/Truckee area.
Squaw Valley Resort also said they have closed all activities and canceled Village events through Labor Day.
"While the Caldor Fire is not currently a threat to Alpine Meadows or Olympic Valley, it is imperative that all area resources are concentrated on fighting this fire and getting residents to safety. As many of our employees and neighbors are facing evacuation orders, please refrain from adding cars to our roads when evacuation is the number one priority," the resort said on Facebook.
Here's other updates you might have missed from Monday morning:
- ABC10's John Bartell was at Echo Summit Lodge. He reported that multiple cabins have gone up in flames as crews try to protect the lodge.
- In response to the fire, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation of a state of emergency due to the Caldor Fire for Alpine, Amador and Placer counties.
- Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter said the state hasn’t had fires burn from one side of the Sierra to the other. It’s happened two times in history, both were this month with the Dixie and Caldor fires.
- Just after 11 a.m. on Monday, all of South Lake Tahoe was ordered to evacuate. It temporarily caused heavy traffic, but the roadways cleared up by 4 p.m.
- After evacuations were issued for South Tahoe, police caught a woman breaking into Dart Liquor and arrested her.
- The city of South Lake Tahoe shared a tool from El Dorado County to help residents determine the status of evacuations in their area. Click here to learn more.
- Cal Fire Division Chief Erich Schwab said the Caldor Fire has been growing by about a half-mile each day for the last few days but on Sunday expanded by 2.5 miles.
- Due to the warning in South Lake Tahoe, Barton Memorial Hospital decided to evacuate all its patients to regional partner facilities. As of 10 a.m., after the area came under an evacuation order, the hospital decided to close entirely.
- According to Cal OES, more than 53,000 people have evacuated El Dorado, Amador, and Alpine counties.
The fire has grown to 186,568 acres and is only 15% contained. More than 600 structures have been destroyed and at least 33,000 are threatened by the fire.
Evacuations and Road Closures
Click HERE for in-depth evacuation orders and warnings in El Dorado County. For evacuation orders and warnings in Amador County, click HERE for the Amador County Sheriff's Facebook page and HERE for their website. For current state highway/route information visit roads.dot.ca.gov.
Here is a live look at traffic in the area from Waze:
Evacuation centers
El Dorado County Shelters
- Green Valley Community Church, Placerville
- Cameron Park CSD, Cameron Park
- Rolling Hills Church, El Dorado Hills
Nevada County Shelter
- Truckee Veterans Hall, 10214 High St, Truckee
Amador County
- Temporary Evacuation Point Italian Picnic Grounds, Sutter Creek
Nevada County
- Truckee Veterans Hall, Truckee
Nevada State Shelter
- Douglas County Community Center, Gardnerville - At Capacity
- Carson City Community Center, Carson City
- Carson High School, Carson City
Animal Evacuation Centers:
- El Dorado County Animal Services (small animals), Diamond Springs. For animal evacuation questions or assistance call (530) 621-5795
- Saureel Vineyards (large animals), Placerville - FULL
- Amador County Fairgrounds (large animal)- for Amador County residents only, Plymouth
- Italian Picnic Grounds in Sutter Creek
- Douglas County Animal Services (small animal), Gardnerville. (775) 782-9061
- East to West Coast Grooming, Gardnerville. (775) 450-1743
- Douglas County Animal Services (livestock) Douglas County Fairgrounds, Gardnerville. (775) 782-9061
Accounts to follow
Evacuation Maps
A map of evacuations from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is available below.
An evacuation map from the Amador County Sheriff's Office can be viewed HERE.
A map of evacuations in Alpine County.
Wildfire map
Click here for a map of the Caldor Fire.
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What questions do you have about the latest wildfires? If you're impacted by the wildfires, what would you like to know? Text the ABC10 team at (916) 321-3310.
Wildfire Preps
If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.
The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and know your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts.
PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.
Watch more from ABC10
Caldor Fire: Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe evacuated due to wildfire
