Caldor Fire Surges, Knocking On The Door Of Tahoe Basin; 9 National Forests Closed

The raging Caldor Fire is nearing the Lake Tahoe basin, an official has warned, as more homes, structures, and businesses are placed at risk. Nine national forests have been closed due to extreme fire conditions across Northern California.

At a media briefing Monday afternoon, CAL Fire Director Thom Porter said the Caldor Fire “is knocking on the door to the Lake Tahoe basin,” adding that while measures have been set to prevent the blaze from reaching the basin, the fire spreading into the basin is still possible due to the recent growing strength of California fires, NBC affiliate KCRA-TV reported. Porter said the Caldor Fire is now the country’s “number one priority for firefighting resources.”

There are no evacuation orders or warnings around the area but Porter’s warning of the Caldor Fire potentially reaching the basin is in line with the fire’s behavior of crossing over Highway 50 near Kyburz over the weekend.

Among the companies and offices that have announced temporary closures due to the fire are California Tahoe Conservancy’s recreation sites and Heavenly Ski Conditions, which announced that the ski site will be “closed for summer.”

In a Monday evening update, CAL Fire said the Caldor Fire has grown to 114,166 acres and is 9 percent contained. Of structures destroyed by the fire, 447 were single residences, while 162 others were minor structures.

The agency said there were two civilians injured in the fire, but no casualties were reported Monday evening.

More than 17,000 structures are threatened by the Calodor fire, following the destruction of 403 homes and six commercial buildings as of Monday. When Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, the wooded area was left with mostly debris. Grizzly Flats was a community of roughly 1,200 people.

Many of the residents who evacuated El Dorado County due to the Caldor Fire have become homeless. More than 200 evacuees have camped out at the KOA in Shingle Springs, CBS-owned KVOR reported. The evacuees pay more than $100 per night, with some saying they’re running out of cash.

Meanwhile, nine national forests have been closed until Sept. 6 due to extreme fire conditions across Northern California. The closures have been announced by the U.S. Forest Service for the following national forests:

• Tahoe National Forest
• Six Rivers National Forest
• Modoc National Forest
• Lassen National Forest
• Mendocino National Forest
• Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• Klamath National Forest
• Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
• Plumas National Forest