Worse and worse....

'No sign it's about to slow down': Caldor Fire roars toward Tahoe Basin

Katie Dowd

Cal Fire issued updated evacuation warnings for El Dorado County that include the remainder of the South Lake Tahoe Basin. The agency's update included new evacuation orders for El Dorado and Alpine counties.

Fire crews lost some containment on the Caldor Fire Sunday as unfavorable conditions began pushing the blaze closer to highly populated areas of the Tahoe Basin.

After starting the day with 19% containment, crews are back down to 13% after a brutal day on the fire lines. The fire has burned 168,387 acres as of Sunday evening.

"Everything is burning different today. We’re seeing movement like we saw about 15 days ago," Cal Fire operations section chief Eric Schwab said at the Sunday evening briefing. "A couple days ago I really felt like we were turning the corner with it... To put it in perspective, we’ve been seeing less than a half mile of movement on the fire’s perimeter for the last couple weeks each day. Today, this is already moved about two and a half miles with no sign it's about to slow down."

As a result, additional evacuation orders for Amador, El Dorado and Alpine counties were issued on Sunday afternoon. The new orders include the town of Meyers, which is a little less than three miles from the Lake Tahoe Airport. The fire is raging on both sides of Highway 50 near Twin Bridges. "It's impassable right now," Schwab said.

People living south of Highway 88 along the Amador/El Dorado County line from Dufrene Road to the Amador/Alpine County line are required to evacuate immediately, a Cal Fire news release said. In El Dorado County, the evacuation zone includes those residing in Christmas Valley from Highway 89 West to Echo Summit, Highway 89 westbound to Watershed Ridge and Echo Summit and south to the Amador/El Dorado County Line, and all homes on both sides of Highway 89.

In Alpine County, the order spans residences on Highway 89 south from Luther Pass Road to Pickets Junction and westbound on Highway 88 to Kirkwood. A Red Cross temporary evacuation point is located at the Italian Picnic Grounds in Sutter Creek.

An evacuation warning was also issued in El Dorado County from Sawmill Road at Lake Tahoe Boulevard to Pope Beach. An evacuation warning means residents should be ready to leave at a moment's notice, although people are always encouraged to leave any time they do not feel safe.

With the closure of Highway 88, people in the area must evacuate north on either Highway 50 or Highway 89. Schwab said the south border of the fire is now about a mile away from Highway 88. 

As the raging Caldor Fire bears down on the Tahoe Basin, firefighters have set up for the fight at the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort.

The resort, normally famed for its snowy winter views, is now filled with fire crews, equipment, trucks and medical aid. The plentiful parking makes it an ideal spot for a staging area, from which Cal Fire will deploy its resources. Sierra-at-Tahoe, as well as homes and businesses further down on the mountain, are in the mandatory evacuation zone. Firefighters are lighting defensive fires around both Sierra-at-Tahoe and Kirkwood, hoping to prevent structure damage to the resorts.

Fire crews are hoping to make a stand at Echo Summit, which drivers will know as the cliffside part of Highway 50 that begins to dip down into the Tahoe Basin. If the fire descends below that summit, it will begin to directly burn down into highly populated areas of Meyers and South Lake Tahoe. With a red flag warning in effect for high winds on Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening, critical fire conditions remain on the horizon.

On Saturday night and into Sunday, fire crews fought to protect Strawberry. Flames stretched into the sky behind Strawberry's post office, general store and beloved lodge, which has been hosting Tahoe visitors since 1858. Fire crews were positioned to protect structures, spraying down trees and setting backfires.

Wildfire cameras in the region show a large column of smoke and flames rising up from the forest near Highway 88. The camera set up on Leek Spring Hill looking toward Kirkwood shows intense fire activity Sunday.

The Caldor Fire ignited on August 14 in heavy timber in the Eldorado National Forest near the small town of Grizzly Flats south of Pollock Pines, burning a destructive path through the community of about 1,200 people. Photos from the aftermath show an elementary school, a post office and homes that were turned into piles of ash. The fire has been burning along Highway 50, a main artery between Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. The road has been closed since August 20. 

Cal Fire said 471 single residences and 11 commercial properties have been destroyed. Damage assessments are still underway, and a map of damaged structures is available from Cal Fire. Over 18,000 structures remain threatened, and evacuation warnings stretch from Amador to Alpine to El Dorado counties.

Staff and fond customers of the Strawberry Lodge, a pretty inn that was once a stop along the Pony Express, can only wait and hope for good news.

"Today we are thinking of our staff, neighbors, regulars, and friends, who make up our Lodge family and community," the lodge posted on Facebook Saturday. "Please continue sharing your happy memories and thoughts with us. Your support has been felt and is appreciated. We still have hope."