Caldor Fire Update: Crews Take Advantage of Weather, Increase Containment
STATELINE, Nevada (CBS SF) — Evacuation warnings were expanded in Alpine County Wednesday as the huge Caldor Fire advanced, pushed by strengthening afternoon winds tossing ember clouds well ahead of the control lines and igniting spot fires.
Hundreds of firefighters were battling the wildfire near the Kirkwood ski resort, on the eastern edge approaching the Heavenly Valley ski resort and the Nevada state line, and near Wrights Lake off Highway 50.
Cal Fire said Wednesday afternoon evacuation warnings were expanded in Alpine County to include:
- The area from Picketts Junction south on Highway 88 to Forestdale Road.
- Northeast to Hawkins Peak to the Highway 88/Highway 89 junction at Woodfords.
- East on Highway 88 to the CA/NV state line.
- NW along the Alpine County line to Fay-Luther Canyon.
Evacuation orders remained in effect for:
- The area from Picketts Junction, north on Highway 89 to the Alpine/El Dorado county line.
- NE along the Alpine/El Dorado county line to the CA/NV state line.
- SE along the Alpine County line to Fay-Luther Canyon.
- SW along Fay- Luther Canyon to Horse Thief Canyon to Picketts Junct.
As of Cal Fire's Wednesday evening update, the Caldor Fire had burned 207,931 acres and was 23% contained.
The containment on the fire was mostly along the western edge of the fire — a nearly two-hour drive from South Lake Tahoe — where the massive blaze ignited on Aug. 14. The nearby community of Grizzly Flats was devastated as hundreds of homes were destroyed.
Some evacuations for the areas of Pollock Pines and Camino on the north side of Highway 50 were lifted. This includes everything west of Sly Park, south of Slab Creek and east of Larsen Drive and Snow Road.
"Currently, the fire has not entered the Kirkwood proper," said U.S. Forest Service Operation Chief Beale Monday said in a Wednesday afternoon briefing. "The winds are real squirrelly. We are still getting continuous spot fires that are threatening the value at risk (homes) down in Kirkwood. We have a lot of people and resources in place to try to prevent any damage into Kirkwood itself."
