When residents might return to South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE >> As firefighters gain more ground on the Caldor Fire, officials are starting to discuss plans for allowing thousands of residents forced to flee the wildfire that has raged through the forests southwest of Lake Tahoe, engulfing several small communities in its wake, to return home.

But the area will remain a hazy ghost town — save for a steady stream of firefighters, emergency personnel and wandering bears and coyotes — at least through Labor Day weekend.

While nearly 6,000 residents on the eastern flanks of the fire near Omo Ranch and Fair Play have received the green light to return home, about 45,000 remain under evacuation orders, including all residents of South Lake Tahoe and those living along 25 miles

of Lake Tahoe’s west and south shores from Tahoma to the California-Nevada border.

Brian Newman, Cal Fire operations section chief, said Friday that it would be at least three or four days “at a minimum” until most evacuees would be allowed to come home, quashing any hope that residents and visitors would be able to return during the long holiday weekend.

“We understand that this has an impact on their lives, but we’re doing our best to ensure that they have a home and a community to return to,” Newman said, adding that there was still much work to be done.

The famed lake, which is usually buzzing with boats by Friday afternoon of a long holiday weekend, instead was empty, with helicopters occasionally flying overhead and drawing water to throw on problem areas of the blaze. A line of black soot and ash lined the lake’s typically pristine waterline.

In addition to ensuring that the fire is no longer a threat to nearby communities, utility crews must come through and inspect electricity, gas, sewer and water infrastructure, ensuring that they are all safe to resume operations.

“They shut off electricity and natural gas because some of those utilities can be harmed or cause issues for fire crews,” Newman said. “Now we have to go back in and make sure that they’re not damaged so that when gas, for instance, is introduced back into the lines, there are no leaks that could cause life-safety issues for the public and for firefighters.”

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported that 2,293 customers are without power due to the Caldor Fire and that the agency has identified 633 locations of damaged power lines, though they expect that number to rise when utility crews are allowed access to more areas along Highway 50.

As of Friday, the Caldor Fire has scorched 212,907 acres, destroying at least 661 homes in the process. The blaze is 29% contained — nearly double the containment firefighters had established on Monday when evacuation orders were first issued for South Lake Tahoe.

Crews on the western flanks of the fire — where all the containment lines are concentrated — are patrolling and mopping up any small spot fires, putting out smoking fuels and taking down any fire-weakened trees they come across to prevent any flare-ups or safety concerns after more evacuation orders are lifted along Highway 50.