Another suspicious fire on the South Shore, this time in Rabe Meadows

A series of fires along the South Shore of Lake Tahoe are still under investigation and have caused some concern among residents. The most recent one, on Tuesday, burned a portion of grass at Rabe Meadow near Kahle Drive at Stateline.

The fire, which burned a patch 30 feet by 40 feet, was reported at 10:13 a.m. Both Tahoe Douglas Fire Department and the US Forest Service responded.

This fire, along with the other six that burned recently, might or might not be suspicious but the numbers are in line with normal fire activity according to Lisa Herron of the USFS. While they may be intentionally set, there is no proof as of yet as the investigations can take some time.

"The Forest Service would like to remind everyone that just because there have been multiple fires in the Lake Tahoe Basin doesn’t necessarily mean that there is an arsonist on the loose," said Herron.

Since May 31, 2016 there have been 38 fires in the Lake Tahoe Basin on Forest Service land. This number is average. Fires can start for a number of reasons including illegal and unattended cooking fires, as well as sparks from equipment and vehicles.

"Don't jump to conclusions," said Herron. "Let the process play out and let investigators do their job."

People are always a consideration when investigating wildland fires since 95 percent of them in California are started by humans.