Lake Tahoe weather conditions right for continued fire operations

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations beginning Monday, January 12, 2015.

Operations may take place near Tahoe City on Highway 28 between Rocky Ridge and Lake Forest, near Emerald Bay at Eagle Point Campground, the Boat Camp and behind Vikingsholm, Fallen Leaf Lake, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, Kingsbury Grade near Buchanan Road and Lake Village, north of Spooner Summit, and Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park near Sand Harbor. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Winter brings cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn. The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT ) gives as much advance notice as possible before burning, but some operations may be conducted on short notice.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition. They wait for favorable conditions that will carry smoke up and out of the Basin. Crews also conduct test burns before igniting a larger area, to verify how effectively fuels are consumed how smoke will travel.