smoke

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department hosted their first annual open house on October 11th in recognition of National Fire Prevention week. Visitors toured all three fire stations and learned about the importance of having and checking smoke detectors, hands only CPR, using a fire extinguisher and also completed a passport card for entry into a grand prize drawing for of a dinner for four prepared by the firefighters. The Gower family of Eric, Jamie, Rowen, and Abby were the winners of the Open House dinner.

Dr. James Tarwater has informed parents that schools in South Lake Tahoe are closing immediately due to a power black out for the area. He reported that the black out will last until 4:30 p.m.

All parents are requested to pick up their students and buses will start transporting children if they are normally transported by bus. Each school has a different Bus departure time starting with STMS at 12:45 p.m., STHS at 1:30 p.m., Bijou at 1:35 p.m., Sierra House and Tahoe Valley Elementary schools at 2:10 p.m., and the Magnet School at 2:25 p.m.

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

Area fire departments respond to fires every year that are caused by people leaving their fireplace or wood stove ashes in a paper bag on their home's deck. These accidents can easily be prevented with correct handling of ashes.

"Can Your Ashes" is a campaign that informs the public of these inherent dangers.

Embers, often concealed in what appears to be cold ashes, can remain hot enough to kindle a fire for several days.

To safely dispose of ashes, fire officials offer these tips:

• Never store ashes in bags or boxes.

Favorable conditions are giving the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service more opportunities to burn piles around Van Sickle Bi-State Park, Heavenly urban lots and McKinney Rubicon area.

With cooler temperatures and some precipitation, this time of year is perfect for prescribed burning.

Smoke from controlled burns near Heavenly Mountain Resort was seen throughout town this week and there is more to come in the area, including South Lake Tahoe

Prescribed fire operations in the Round Hill, Zephyr Heights, Incline Village, Slaughterhouse Canyon, Christmas Valley, Ward Canyon, McKinney Rubicon areas and on various urban lots near Heavenly. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

The Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service started prescribed fire operations in the Incline Village, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, Heavenly, Slaughterhouse Canyon, Christmas Valley, Pioneer Trail and McKinney Rubicon areas on Friday.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - You've walked by them, biked past them, and maybe even seen them on empty lots - what are those random piles of wood? The piles are the first half of a two-step process used by Lake Tahoe Basin agencies to reduce hazardous fuels, provide community protection, and improve forest health.

Smoke will be visible from various locations around the lake due to prescribed burns of underbrush and wood piles starting Sunday.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will conduct prescribed fire operations in the Incline Village, Ponderosa Ranch, Tunnel Creek trailhead areas and on scattered urban lots around the Lake Tahoe Basin beginning, Sunday, November 2, 2014, and continuing as conditions allow.

A multi-agency prescribed fire operation begins on Saturday, October 18 as the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has crews from Tahoe Douglas Fire and the U.S. Forest Service at several locations around the lake.

Fall and winter bring 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 Forest Service will start their fall prescribed burn operations in South Lake Tahoe this week. The weather conditions expected on Tuesday and Wednesday will determine which area will be burned first.

The two areas that will have piles burned are located near South Tahoe High School and in Christmas Valley.

100 acres near the high school are planned to be burned between October 14 and 16 with spoke expected to travel Northeast.

15 acres in Christmas Valley are planned to be burned between October 14 and 15 with smoke traveling in a Northeast direction.

Small smoke plumes have been observed in communities as far west as Cool and Auburn as a result of the smoldering King Fire. According to Cal Fire, this is to be expected as the fire continues to burn within the interior. Smoke will settle with the cooler night air and follow canyons and drainages, and will lift and disperse as the day warms. It should be somewhat light smoke, and get progressively lighter over time until the fire runs its course or enough precipitation extinguishes it.

The Board of Trustees, students, faculty and staff of Lake Tahoe Community College recognize the serious health problems associated with smoking tobacco and other non-tobacco products and the use of smokeless tobacco. The college also recognizes that tobacco smoke poses a health risk to non-smokers. In order to protect students and staff who choose not to smoke from an unhealthy environment, the LTCC Board of Trustees approved a new policy that prohibits smoking within buildings or facilities owned or leased by the District, and designates marked outside areas on campus for smoking.

The 7th Annual K9 Trials are being held in South Lake Tahoe all day Saturday. They started with Dog Patrol competition at Lakeview Commons this morning. More events will follow at the beach and the public is invited to attend.

Earlier this year the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) purchased three properties in order to provide open space, improve water quality and remove blight.

The first of these properties, the Alta Mira Building, was demolished this week.

"We hope these acquisitions will be just the first wave of our renewed
efforts to partner with the City in helping to revitalize South Lake Tahoe," Tom Davis said in May when the Conservancy Board voted to purchase the building for $2.5 million. He sits on both the Conservancy Board and South Lake Tahoe City Council.

Air show officials have decided to drop the $10 entrance fee and offer free admission to all attendees for the 25th Annual Lake in the Sky Air Show this Saturday, September 20th from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. at Tahoe Valley Airport in South Lake Tahoe.

Last year's air show was canceled due to heavy smoke from the Rim Fire. Officials are monitoring the King Fire's smoke and movement, but at this time there are no flight closures and the aerial performances and all on ground activities are still going to occur.

This year’s show which will includes:

Many thought the smoke filling the Lake Tahoe basin on Tuesday was from Yosemite's Meadow Fire, but because of the way winds were flowing the basin smoke was actually from the Happy Fire in Northern California.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Happy Fire had burned over 105,000 acres and is 30% contained. The lightning caused fire started on August 12 and is burning west of Yreka and I-5 along Hwy 96 in the Klamath National Forest.

7/29/14 11:30 p.m. update: The El Portal Fire burning near Yosemite is now 34% contained. Firefighters gained good ground on all sides of the fire except for the northern portion which has caused concern for fire officials. Steep, rugged terrain continues to challenge the efforts of firefighters but progress is being made. The weather forecast calls for continued high temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees near El Portal.

At this point in time 3,545 acres have burned. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

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.

7:45 pm update: According to Eric Guevin, Tahoe Douglas Fire District's Fire Marshall, the cause of the fire by Kingsbury Middle School was human caused and is under investigation. Due to quick response by the Zephyr Fire Crew and Tahoe Douglas Firefighters, along with favorable weather, the fire only burned a 50' x 50' area. A resident in the area, Dr. Jeff Behar, rode his bike to the scene when he saw the smoke and found the crews distinguishing the fire and provided South Tahoe Now with photos.

You may see smoke in three different locations around the Lake Tahoe basin this week as U.S. Forest Service fuel reduction operations continue. Starting Monday, April 7, they will be burning near Spooner Summit on the East Shore, in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 S near South Lake Tahoe, and on the west side of Highway 89 N near Tahoma on the West Shore.

Operations are ongoing and may continue through the week and next weekend if weather, staffing, and conditions allow.

Prescribed fire operations will continue around Lake Tahoe this week. Fuels management crews from the U.S. Forest Service will be in various locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin the week of March 30, 2014. Possible locations include Slaughterhouse Canyon on the East Shore, the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe, the west side of Highway 89 near Tahoma, and near D.L. Bliss State Park on the West Shore.

Operations are ongoing and depend on weather, staffing, and conditions. Locations could vary due to changing conditions.

Lake Tahoe is one of California’s greatest natural treasures. It is a beauty to behold, with forested mountains surrounding the deep blue shimmering surface. It is famous for many recreational activities- snowboarding, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and sunbathing. But the clear blue waters of Tahoe are in trouble. Invasive species, climate change, and sedimentation all threaten the unique ecosystems of the lake.

There will be several controlled burns around west and south shore of the Lake Tahoe basin beginning on Tuesday, February 4.

In South Lake Tahoe, the prescribed burns will take place on the east side of Tahoe Mountain, the south side of Highway 89 near Camp Richardson, and off of North Upper Truckee Road in the Angora fire area south of Mule Deer Circle.