Printed in the High Desert Advocate Edition September 3, 2021.
By Kristen Hackback
Last Monday, August 30, 2021, residents of South Lake Tahoe got the order to leave their homes after fire officials issued another round of mandatory evacuation, in response to the rapidly growing and barely contained Caldor Fire. The evacuation orders included the entire southern part of Lake Tahoe from Stateline clockwise west and north to include the Tahoma area.
Long lines of cars and people evacuating because of the he Caldor Fire.(photo credit by Bronte Wittpenn
Most evacuees have been told to travel east on Highway 50 towards Nevada, with those in the Fallen Leaf and Tahoma told to travel north on Highway 89 toward Truckee. Evacuation shelters have been set up in Truckee and Gardnerville. (Highway 50 West, Highway 88 West and parts of Highway 89 are closed). Some residents have already been evacuated, but still others are stuck in a mass exodus of cars.
Last Monday, Gov. Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency in response to the fire, anticipating it may cross into Nevada in the coming days. The declaration ensures resources from local, state and federal agencies are available should they be needed.
The fire has burned more than 177,000 acres—increasing by more than 7,000 acres since this morning’s update–and is 14% contained. Fire officials said conditions remain critical with dry conditions and early morning winds. “Current fire behavior is contributing to ember casts traveling up to half a mile,” one update noted.
