Caldor Fire ‘Out Of Control’ – 22,000 People In South Lake Tahoe Ordered To Evacuate

The Caldor Fire in California raced to a mountainous area in Lake Tahoe just about seven miles southwest of the Tahoe Basin on Monday, triggering evacuation orders for thousands of people in all of South Lake Tahoe.

On Sunday, 22,000 residents received evacuation warnings, but by Monday, the warnings were turned into orders, ABC affiliate KXTV reported. Communities several miles south of the freshwater lake were ordered to evacuate over the weekend and tourists around the area were asked to leave.

In its latest update of the Caldor Fire time-stamped 7:00 p.m., Monday, CAL Fire reported that the fire has grown to 186,568 acres and now threatens more than 33,600 structures. The agency said three first responders were injured Monday, along with two civilians. A total of 482 single residences have been destroyed by the fire, as well as 11 commercial properties, 171 minor structures, and 39 other structures.

The Lake Tahoe area is usually packed with tourists seeking outdoor activities, driven by casino gambling activities on the Nevada border. However, forecasters warned of dangerous fire conditions through Tuesday, prompting the people to pack up. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office also asked residents of the Nevada county to stay alert and prepare for potential evacuation orders. Douglas County has a population of more than 48,000.

Chief of CAL Fire, Thom Porter, said the “critical thing is to evacuate early” at this point as “there is fire activity happening in California that we have never seen before.” Officer Travis Cabral of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said local officials already expected the Caldor Fire to inch closer towards the lake, “which is why we started the evacuation phase the way we did.”

Here is a map of areas in El Dorado County under evacuation orders. As of Monday, a total of 43,400 people have been evacuated, with El Dorado County accounting for nearly 30,000 of the said evacuations. The evacuation count included nearly 4,000 from Amador County, 3,359 from Alpine County, 2, 504 from Plumas County, and 1,560 from Trinity County.

Speaking with The Mercury News, resident Marley Reel said it “feels pretty crazy” that officials are “evacuating all of the south shore.” However, she said she understands that the Caldor Fire is now “out of control.” Reel was among the residents who were stuck in traffic on Highway 50 before 5:00 p.m. Monday as scores of people traveled out of the area.

In photos from the scene at Highway 50 during rushed evacuations, people can be seen waiting for the traffic jam to clear. Cars and trucks lined in miles-long traffic carrying boxes, mattresses, boats and bikes. One photo shows South Lake Tahoe resident Mel Smothers playing his violin while waiting for the traffic to move.

Within hours after thousands of people were ordered to evacuate, the Caldor Fire moved beyond Echo Summit and into Christmas Valley, marking the blaze’s entry into the Lake Tahoe basin, the Sacramento Bee reported. The Christmas Valley area is not far from the southern edge of the lake.

Journalists reported seeing flames over the eastern side of Highway 89 and by Monday evening, some journalists reported seeing the fire jumping over to the west side of the highway.

The Caldor Fire is just one of several large fires burning across California. The Dixie Fire, which has torched 771,183 acres, was only 48% contained as of Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported. A smaller fire, the Chaparral Fire, which ignited over the weekend along the San Diego and Riverside counties, also prompted evacuation warnings near the blaze. The Caldor Fire’s unified incident commander Dusty Martin noted that “there’s many other fires going in the state” not just in the north but also in the southern region.

The Caldor Fire has torn through mountain resorts as it marches relentlessly onwards Photo: AFP / JOSH EDELSON