calfire

Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFDO) is hosting community gathering on Sunday, June 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m to mark the 10th anniversary of the devastating Angora Fire. This event will focus on the community’s healing and resiliency.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue along with multiple local agencies are coming together and hosting the 4th annual Wildfire Safety Expo on Saturday, June 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the TJ Maxx parking lot located at the “Y” where
Highways 50 and 89 intersect.

Everyone one is invited to the free event with lots of information about being prepared in case of a wildfire.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District held their first Commendation Ceremony on Saturday night at Lake Tahoe Golf Course, honoring firefighters and citizens for their efforts during the past year.

Winners during the evening:

Firefighter of the Year – Ted Jackson
Civilian Award of Merit – Jacob Zorn, Dept of Transportation
Civilian Award of Merit – Ian Whitmarsh, University of San Francisco
Life Saver Award – Alex Vaughn, Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Patrol
Life Saver Award – Engineer Wes Long and Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Anderson

It's that time of year again when the U.S. Forest Service resumes their prescribed burns in the Lake Tahoe basin to reduce fuels in sensitive areas.

Fire restrictions have not been lifted in the basin yet, but it is not uncommon for the Forest Service to conduct operations while those restrictions are still in effect according to Lisa Heron of the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

8:00AM update 10/15: Highway 89 remains closed in both directions from Fallen Leaf Lake Road to Emerald Bay due to the Emerald Fire which remains 80 percent contained this morning. Acreage burned is 210 acres.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

There are 3 engines and 12 firefighters still on the scene.

Opening time for Hwy 89 is still unclear. CHP estimates Saturday afternoon and Caltrans estimates the road will be closed until Monday. This is to allow crews to clean up the fallen trees and other debris on, and near, the roadway.

4:00 p.m. update - A fire that burned behind Motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe Monday consumed a 50 x 50 square patch of dry brush before being brought under control by the first responders.

1:53 p.m. the call came into dispatch, and immediately a full response headed to the scene. The fire is out and investigators from CalFire and USFS are looking into the cause.

The fires on the South Shore the past few months have not officially been labeled suspicious and most remain under investigation.

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Due to a venue conflict, the 2016 FireFest will be held at Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The free event is open to the public.

5:00 p.m. update: A small fire that broke out west of the Heavenly Gondola Sunday afternoon has been contained. CalFire will remain at the scene for mop up operations.

An area about 40 feet by 25 feet burned before fire fighters responded and put it out. The original call came in at 3:56 p.m.

Montreal Road in South Lake Tahoe, previously closed to allow fire fighters to get into the area, has been reopened. The gondola had also been shut down for a short time as a safety measure.

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Fire fighters from Lake Valley, CalFire, South Lake Tahoe and the US Forest Service all responded to the call of a fire under the Heavenly Gondola Tuesday at about 4:00 p.m.

The fire, which started in the same area as the 2002 Gondola Fire that burned 673 acres in July of that year.

With a quick response, the fire fighters were able to get a containment line around the fire within 30 minutes.

According to initial reports, the fire burned a 10 foot by 10 foot patch in dry vegetation.

The cause of the fire us under investigation.

8:30 p.m. update 7/4/16: Firefighters working on the Trailhead Fire in El Dorado County gained a lot of ground Monday, getting a containment line around 50 percent of the fire. So far, 5,444 acres have burned.

A Christmas Valley family is safe after their home suffered substantial damage in an early morning fire on May 16.

A family of three awoke to the sounds of their smoke detectors wailing and called 9-1-1. At that time, they didn't see flames but quickly exited the home.

Firefighters from the Lake Valley Fire Protection District (LVFPD) responded at 4:50 a.m. to the 3300 block of West River Park Drive where they found the second story fully engulfed in flames.

6:15 p.m. update 9/15/15:

New evacuation advisories were put up at the scene of the large Butte Fire on Tuesday.

9/29/14 update: Heavy precipitation over the weekend allowed firefighters to achieve 90 percent containment of the Cascade Fire near Snow Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. Crews will begin repairing impacts from fire suppression activities and will monitor the fire to detect any renewed activity later this week due to drier, warmer and windier conditions.

Bayview Trailhead and Campground and TaylorCreek Sno-Park on Hwy. 89 have reopened. The cause of the 20-acre fire is under investigation, but it has been determined to be human-caused.

7/30/14 update: Firefighters are getting the upper hand on a wildfire north of the town of Plymouth. All evacuation orders have been lifted.

So far, 4,240 acres have burned as well as 19 homes and 47 outbuildings. The fire did not spread overnight. The increase in reported acreage burned is due to a precise GPS mapping.

According to Cal Fire, patrol and mop-up of the fire will continue for several days. Rugged terrain and hot, dry weather conditions in addition to hazards associated with mines within the fire area continue to be a challenge for firefighters.

Several agencies are coming together on Saturday, June 21st for the first Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe.

The threat of wildfire is extremely high this fire season due to record drought conditions in the West. To provide information on creating home evacuation plans, preparing for fire, creating defensible space, the expo has been created.

The expo will be held in the TJ Maxx parking lot from noon to 3 p.m.

South Lake Tahoe firefighters were able to contain a fire in the attic of Lake Tahoe Pizza Co., in the 1100 block of Emerald Bay Road on Monday night.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, said South Lake Tahoe Fire Department Shift Commander Rob Hembree in a news release. No injuries were reported.

The fire department responded at 11:09 p.m. Other responding agencies were the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, CalFire and Tahoe Douglas Protection District.

UPDATE 3:27PM: KOLO Reno Channel 8 reports the brother of the registered owner of the Piper that crashed in South Lake Tahoe Saturday night says all five people aboard died. Javier de la Mora says his brother, Francisco de la Mora, of Fresno was in the airplane when it crashed. Francisco's wife and daughter and two other people were on board as well. Go here for the full story.

UPDATE 2:56PM: The City of South Lake Tahoe issued the following news release and photos this afternoon:

A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday, August 25th at 9:48 pm from Lake Tahoe Airport. The crash ignited a fire in the meadow just past the airport off of Winnemucca Avenue. The fire burned approximately one acre and took an hour and a half to extinguish.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department reports that the plane had been heard by witnesses to have apparent engine problems, and was seen to dip downward into the ground while attempting a turn.
According to Federal Aviation Administration, there were multiple victims and no survivors of the crash. The names of victims are not being released until notification of families is confirmed.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those that perished in this tragic accident. Thanks to the quick and cooperative efforts by multiple agencies; the fire caused by this crash was put out quickly,” said Mayor Claire Fortier.
Earlier in the day, the 23rd Annual Lake in the Sky Air Show was held at Lake Tahoe Airport. This plane was not affiliated with the air show in any way.
The location of the plane crash is within El Dorado County limits and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department is the lead agency of this investigation. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board officials arrived on site today to perform an investigation and to identify the cause of the crash.

UPDATE 1:46PM: There are multiple victims to Saturday night's plane crash in South Lake Tahoe, confirmed El Dorado Sheriff's Office Lt. Pete Van Arnum. Investigators were processing the wreckage to confirm how many victims and their identities. Investigators do not believe the victims to be locals from the South Lake Tahoe area, he said. No information concerning the identity of the victims, or the plane will be released until positive confirmation has been made, he said. Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting with the investigation.
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10:36AM: Lake Tahoe News is reporting that it has exclusively learned from federal authorities that up to five people died in the plane crash on Saturday. Go here for the story. Meanwhile KOLO TV Channel 8 in Reno reports that an FAA official confirmed the plane was a Piper PA32.

UPDATE 6:55AM: A small airplane crashed in the Barton Meadows area in South Lake Tahoe sparking a wildland fire on Saturday night. Presumably there are no survivors. The crash was reported at 9:48 p.m. after the plane took off from Lake Tahoe Airport, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Pete Van Arnum early Sunday morning. Witnesses reported the plane was experiencing engine trouble and was seen moving downward before it crashed into flames, he said.

CalFire will be down staffing its two engines in the Lake Tahoe Basin (Station No. 5 in South Lake Tahoe and Station No. 55 in Carnelian Bay)starting Oct. 17 for winter. Staffing levels are sufficient...