The Caldor Fire is now the top priority for firefighting resources around the country, but “knocking on the door to the Lake Tahoe Basin,” according to California’s top fire official.
The Caldor Fire, which started on August 14, has incinerated more than 180 square miles (466 square kilometers) of El Dorado National Forest, and continuing assessments showed 447 buildings destroyed. More than 17,000 structures were still under threat. It is currently 9 percent contained, accordingto The Guardian.
“We have all efforts in place to keep it out of the basin but we do need to also be aware that is a possibility based on the way the fires have been burning,” said Chief Thom Porter, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Caldor Fire crossed Highway 50 this weekend as crews battled hot temperatures, dry vegetation and gusty winds, though conditions improved overnight into Monday.
A spot blaze from the larger blaze sprang up – burning on the north side of Highway 50 near Kyburz, and grew slightly on Monday. But Cal Fire reported that there are no additional spot fires burning north of Highway 50 – which is good news.
As of Tuesday morning, Highway 50, which was closed on Friday between Sly Park Road and the highways 50/89 roundabout in Meyers, was still closed. CapRadio is reporting there is no estimates on when the highway will reopen.
Further to the north, containment increased to 40 percent for the Dixie Fire, which has burned more than 1,130 square miles in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. Ongoing assessments showed 1,259 buildings destroyed, including 678 single-family homes, Cal Fire said.
The Caldor Fire is just one of a dozen large wildfires raging across California. On Monday, after a review of the damage, Governor Gavin Newsom requested a presidential major disaster declaration for eight counties, Mark Ghilarducci, state Emergency Services director, told a briefing near Sacramento.
