valley fire

The air quality in South Lake Tahoe dipped into the "unhealthy" range on Sunday, prompting some to wear protective mouth masks.

From 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., air quality hit the worst levels of the day with a registered 134.5 Micrograms/Cubic Meter (ug/m3) according to the California Air Quality and Meteorological Information System (AQMIS).

This calculates to a 192 AQI which is in the "unhealthy" range. By 3 p.m. this lowered to 153 AQI, which is still in the same range, but South Lake Tahoe was back down into the "unhealthy for sensitive group" range by 5 p.m. with an AQI of

6:00 p.m. update 6/29/15

Firefighters made a lot of progress on the fire lines at the Washington Fire south of Markleeville on Monday, gaining containment of 56% of the perimeter. So far, 17,787 acres have burned.

The lightning caused fire grew quickly a week ago, from 30 acres on June 19 to 6,500 acres by June 21.

At one time, over 1,100 fire personnel were working on suppression of the fire. Those numbers were reduced today to 860 as containment grew.

Every year, South Lake Tahoe fire agencies prepare to fight fires around the basin but they rarely get to practice evacuations of residents.

That opportunity came on Monday when the Tahoe Douglas Fire District and Skyland Fire Adapted Community executed an inter-agency wildfire evacuation drill in the Skyland neighborhood.

The drill simulated a real evacuation event to give residents the opportunity to practice evacuating from their homes and getting to the designated safe zone.

Prescribed fire operations may continue around Lake Tahoe this week if weather permits. There are just two areas planned for burning: Off Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly and near Logan Creek Drive on the East Shore.

Smoke from the fires is normal and may continue for several days after materials have been ignited.

The Heavenly Valley fire area has 70.25 acres of hand piles to burn. There are 23 acres of hand piles and machine piles left to burn.

It took South Lake Tahoe firefighters just 15 minutes to put out an early morning fire in the Sierra Tract neighborhood that caused one minor injury and claimed the lives of two dogs that lived in the house.

The emergency call came into dispatch at 1:32 a.m. Thursday, April 30. Nine units responded from the South Lake Tahoe, Cal Fire, Lake Valley Fire and Tahoe Douglas Fire departments with a total of 16 personnel. Once the fire was under control, Tahoe Douglas units were released to cover the city while others stayed on scene for over two hours to clean up the scene.

While the Tahoe Douglas Rotary's annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser has always been a local's favorite, this year's event created such a buzz around town that it actually sold out a month ago.

On Friday, March 13, 650 people filled Harrah's Convention Center for an evening of first responder honorees, an inaugural digital silent auction, a wine and beer bar with televisions to watch the bidding from as well as a red carpet with "paparazzi" to record the evening.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.

This week, South Tahoe Now has been highlighting each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.
During the week, South Tahoe Now will highlight each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary has been a part of the South Shore community since 1962, and, as are the other 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, are bound by a commong purpose, Service Above Self. The club felt it was an ideal fit to recognize police and fire professionals in the community who make sacrifies every day to serve and protect.

During the week, South Tahoe Now will highlight each of this year's winners of the inagural First Responder Community Hero Award.

The South Shore community members have big hearts! I wanted to send my congratulations to the organizers and participants at the St. Baldrick’s Foundation fund raiser on Friday, February 27th at the Ice Arena in South Lake Tahoe. What a fantastic event for a foundation with the goal to “Conquer Childhood Cancers.” Thank you!

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District is one of two members of the California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority (JPA). The JPA has a contract with the County of El Dorado to provide Advanced Life Support Ambulance Services to the California side of the Lake Tahoe South Shore as well as a portion of Alpine County. The JPA has been providing this since 2001.

The 47th Annual Tahoe Douglas Rotary's St. Patrick's Day Celebration has some added extras this year to make this time honored tradition even more fun than usual.

On March 13, 2015, the Rotarians will open the doors at Harrah's Tahoe to the public who will be treated to the first ever First Responders Recognition evening tied into the traditional St. Patrick's Day event.

The Lake Valley Fire Protection District, California State Parks, Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations near Sugar Pine Point State Park, Pioneer Trail and Washoan Boulevard, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, Luther Pass, Spooner Summit, and Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park in Slaughterhouse Canyon. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

The following is a list of burn areas and how many acres are being burned.

Project Sunset at Washoan and Pioneer Trail - 12 acres

An electrical fire at a Nottaway Drive home in South Lake Tahoe caused extensive damage to the home's kitchen as well as smoke damage to the rest of the house.

The Sunday afternoon house fire brought out a large response from Lake Valley Fire, South Lake Tahoe Police and El Dorado County Sheriffs officers.

According to Leona Allen, Lake Valley Fire Department's Press Information Officer, the exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time. She told South Tahoe Now, "we won't have a value for quite some time."

100% of the ballots from polling locations have now been counted in the El Dorado County and City of South Lake Tahoe elections. The following is the result pending some absentee ballots that still need to be counted.

County Supervisor Area 5

Sue Novasel - 59.92% 3529 votes
Kenny Curtzwiler - 39.58% 2331 votes

City of South Lake Tahoe City Council
Top 3 win a seat

Wendy David 18.00% 1205 votes
Tom Davis 15.56% 1042 votes

The 2014 Fall Aging & Caregiver Series will be given for the next six weeks in South Lake Tahoe. This six week series of classes are designed to provide instruction and support for caregivers who are, or are planning to, care for a family member or friend age 60 or older.

All classes are held at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants must register by calling 530-621-6369 or 800-510-2020. Free in-Home respite is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services.

There are an estimated 500 unpermitted, illegal marijuana grow houses on the South Shore according to local law enforcement. In the city limits, South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler estimates there are 300 houses where marijuana is growing illegally with another 200 in the El Dorado County portion of the South Shore according to SLEDNET’s Matt Underhill. (SLEDNET stands for South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, a joint drug enforcement task force)

10:45 a.m. Update: What remains of the back of the Deerfield Lodge was evident this morning with smoke still coming from the ruined two story section. Six rooms were damaged with the three on the top floor totally destroyed by fire, and the three on the bottom with extensive water damage. Five vehicles were also damaged.

The El Dorado County Grand Jury has released their final report for the 2013-14 year and several South Lake Tahoe situations have been brought to light.

According to Jury Foreman Neil Cunningham, the jury compiled 20 reports and recommendations which were created as they followed up on inquiries from citizens and Grand Jury required inspections.

Join hundreds of your friends, neighbors, co-workers during the 2014 Tahoe Bike Challenge, an annual event that encourages Lake Tahoe residents to get out of their cars and onto bikes.

The event starts off on Saturday with a Bike Trail Clean Up Day. Anyone can join them at three locations after signing up,and lunch is even included. Meet at Sierra Nevada Alliance at 2311 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Los Angeles and Hwy 50 by the fire station or behind Clean Tahoe, 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Lunch will be served after the clean up day at the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

In order to create defensible apace from wildfires, members of Temple Bat Yam, Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department held a community clean-up day for the property around the synagogue on May 18, 2014.

The collaborative effort is an example of working together to produce Fire Adapted Communities, which are communities located in fire-prone areas that require little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire.

If you're interested in scheduling a Wildfire Prevention effort in your neighborhood, call the SLTFD at 530-542-6160.

With record drought conditions in the West, preparing your home for
wildfire is more important than ever. May has been designated “Wildfire Awareness Month” in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This year’s theme is “Prepare Your Home For Wildfire” with a focus on creating and sustaining Fire Adapted Communities.

A Fire Adapted Community (FAC) is a community located in a fire-prone area that requires little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire. Residents of these communities accept responsibility for living in a high fire-hazard area. They possess the knowledge and skills to:

On Feb. 6 at 6:30 pm, a meeting will be held at the Lake Valley Fire Department to discuss the recent unveiling of the Catalyst Project, which includes a multi-story, multi-acre resort and parking garage in Meyers. The draft TRPA and El Dorado County 2014 Community Plan (“Area Plan”) for Meyers, which currently includes development incentives favoring the large project, will also be discussed. This meeting is not sponsored by any agency, and Meyers residents are encouraged to come with questions.

Location

The City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and the Lake Valley Fire Department have announced their Christmas Fire Truck tours for the season:

In the city limits the fire truck leaves Station 2 at 5 pm each night and runs their route until 8 pm.

Tuesday, Dec 10 - Venice/Tahoe Keys Area
Wednesday, Dec 11 - Glenwood
Thursday, Dec 12 - Keys Blvd/State Streets
Friday, Dec 13 - South Y/Tata
Saturday, Dec 14 - Barton/Tahoe Island
Sunday, Dec 15 - Al Tahoe
Monday, Dec 16 - Springwood/Bijou Pines
Tuesday, Dec 17 - Main Areas along Hwy 50
Wednesday, Dec 18 - Stateline/Hotels