Lake Tahoe fire about half contained

The huge wildfire near the Lake Tahoe resort region was about half contained Tuesday, with the head of California’s firefighting agency saying crews largely have been able to keep flames away from populated areas.

“We’ve been able to herd these fires around and outside of the main community corridors,” California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Chief Thom Porter said.

That includes the city of South Lake Tahoe and nearby Meyers that were threatened by the Caldor Fire as it churned east, and the communities of Pollock Pines and nearby Sly Park near where the fire ignited 3 1/2 weeks ago.

“Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened in every case,” Porter said at a briefing. “But by and large, we’ve been able to do a great job in protecting lives, property.”

Nearly 1,000 structures have been destroyed in the fire near Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, including 776 homes.