State wildf ires spread gloom

Wildfires lead to evacuation orders for 43,000, threaten homes, foul the air.

Multiple blazes lead to evacuation orders for 43,000 people, threaten homes and foul the air.

Multiple wildfires burning across California are creating misery for the state’s residents as they spur evacuations, threaten homes and spew noxious smoke into the air.

The fight against the Caldor fire burning near South Lake Tahoe took a turn for the worse Sunday, when officials said fire activity was “more aggressive than what was anticipated.” The majority of South Lake Tahoe was placed under mandatory evacuation orders Monday.

Strong winds fueled spot fires and flareups that saw gains slip away, as containment of the 177,260-acre fire dropped from 19% on Sunday morning to 14% by Monday morning. More than 20,000 structures are threatened by the fire.

Acreage and containment updates for the Caldor fire were not available from state fire officials Monday night.

“A couple of days ago I really felt we were turning a corner with it,” operations section chief Eric Schwab said Sunday, noting that the fire had been creeping eastward at a pace of about half a mile each day.

But Sunday, it “moved about 2 ½ miles on us, with no sign that it’s starting to slow down,” he said.

For days, the big question has been whether the Caldor fire will jump the large granite ridge that stands between it and populous South Lake Tahoe. Many residents hoped that the stony topography would act as a buffer.

In a Monday evening update, officials confirmed the fire had moved into Christmas Valley and Meyers, a town about seven miles south of South Lake Tahoe.

The Caldor fire is only one of more than a dozen large fires burning in California, including some that have been churning through the landscape for weeks or even longer.

More than 15,000 personnel are working on fires in California; the effort includes nearly 1,200 fire engines, 315 hand crews, 367 dozer units, 411 water tenders and 111 helicopters, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Monday.

More than 43,400 Californians have been told to evacuate, he said.

One of the state’s highest-priority blazes, the multi-county Dixie fire burning in Northern California, has long since claimed the title of the second-largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. On Monday, the fire had burned 771,183 acres and was 48% contained.

It too prompted new evacuation warnings Sunday. Officials said crews on the Dixie fire would also contend with gusty red flag conditions through Tuesday.

Evacuation orders and warnings were also in place for areas near the Chaparral fire, which ignited Saturday along the border of Riverside and San Diego counties.

That fire had grown to 1,427 acres and was 13% contained Monday morning, officials said.

A nighttime acreage or containment update wasn’t available, but officials lifted evacuation warnings and downgraded evacuation orders to warnings for the portions of Riverside County affected by the blaze, state fire officials said.

All warnings and orders for San Diego County stayed in place, officials said.

Meanwhile, the French fire in Kern County and the Monument fire in Trinity County continued to challenge beleaguered fire crews. As of Monday morning, the French fire had grown to 25,264 acres and was 26% contained, and the 164,746-acre Monument fire, which has been burning for 31 days, was 29% contained.