Lake Tahoe fire has upper hand for now
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Firefighters battling a stubborn wildfire Friday near the Lake Tahoe resort region faced gusty winds and dry conditions that made vegetation ready to burn.
The Caldor Fire has proved so difficult to fight that fire managers this week pushed back the projected date for full containment from next week to Sept. 8, but even that estimate was tenuous.
“I think that’s going to be assessed on a day-by-day basis,” said Keith Wade, a spokesman for the incident management team.
A Northern California police officer who’d been on his way to help with the fire died Thursday after being hurt in a crash, officials said Friday.
Galt Police Officer Harminder Grewal was gravely injured in a head-on collision that sent him and his partner to the hospital Sunday.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice while … responding to danger. Officer Grewal took pride in serving his community, and his work ethic was contagious to all who worked with him,” the department said in a statement.
Grewal, 27, was the department’s “officer of the year” in 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement honoring him and ordering Capitol flags to half-staff.
Grewal was a member of the honor guard and recently had been selected to be a motorcycle officer, Newsom said.
He said Grewal’s partner is recovering from her serious injuries. The driver who crossed into their lane also died.
Burning since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada, the Caldor Fire has scorched nearly 144,000 acres, or 225 square miles, and remained only 12 percent contained early Friday.
Winds and temperatures were expected to pick up over several days while humidity drops, adding to the challenges endured by crews working in rugged terrain.
“That’s what’s closing the window of opportunity we’ve had to make progress and really get hold of the fire,” said Daniel Berlant, assistant deputy director of the state firefighting agency.
On Friday, flames churned through mountains just southwest of the Tahoe Basin, home to thousands and a playground for millions of tourists who visit the alpine lake in summer, ski at the many resorts in winter, and gamble at its casinos year-round.
Johnny White and Lauren McCauley decided to flee their home in the mountains above Lake Tahoe once they could see flames on the webcam at their local ski resort.
“You don’t want everyone in the basin panicking and scrambling to try and leave at the same time,” McCauley said.
In California, 14 active, large fires are being fought by more than 15,200 firefighters. Fires have destroyed around 2,000 structures and forced thousands to evacuate in the state this year while blanketing large swaths of the West in unhealthy smoke.
But the Caldor Fire has been the nation’s top firefighting priority because of its proximity to Lake Tahoe, where its tourist economy should be in full swing this time of year.
“This is the week before Labor Day weekend — a busy weekend, normally,” South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin said. “That is not going to be the case this year.”