As Monster Caldor Fire Closes In, Make Or Break Hours For South Lake Tahoe

The last few hours of Wednesday have become critical for South Lake Tahoe as firefighters deployed to battle to keep the raging Caldor Fire out of the popular resort town.

The Caldor Fire ignited Aug. 14 near Little Mountain between Omo Ranch and Grizzly Flats, and has grown to 207,931 acres in size. About 59,000 people are under evacuation orders, including 22,000 from South Lake Tahoe.

Spokesman for Cal Fire Team 6, Dave Lauchner, told CNN that South Lake Tahoe may be spared from getting consumed by the Caldor Fire if conditions remain favorable throughout Wednesday evening. “At this point, we’ve been able to keep it out of South Lake Tahoe,” Lauchner said. However, Lauchner noted that things could still change during the remaining hours of the night. “It’s still a long firefight ahead of us. There’s a lot of things this fire can still do,” he said.

Click here for a map of the Caldor fire's progression.

Click here for the structure damage map launched by El Dorado County.

A surge in fire activity was detected by Cal Fire early Tuesday morning, fueled by extreme drought and dangerous dry conditions. Strong winds and low humidity pushed “down towards Highway 50 and continues to threaten control lines,” the agency said.

As the mammoth fight to keep the Caldor Fire out of South Lake Tahoe continues, firefighters have been steering the blaze away from the area and toward the Tamarack Fire burn area, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported. The goal is to stop the fire from jumping over into the North Upper Truckee community.

Fire engines lined up on Highway 50 Tuesday afternoon to supress the flames, fighting against wind gusts that tried to fan the fire. Fire personnel were also seen on standby should flames cross the road. The same strategy appeared to result in early success for the team working to protect structures near Highway 89.

Cal Fire spokesman Henry Herrera said current weather conditions were perfect for fueling the Caldor Fire. “Everything has lined up, perfect recipe for a major fire like this,” Herrera said in an interview Wednesday with CNBC’s “The News with Shephard Smith.” Herrera added that so far, containment lines built along vulnerable areas have kept the Caldor Fire from communities around South Lake Tahoe.

Earlier this week, around 22,000 residents were evacuated as part of the early measures to protect the popular tourist town. Videos and photos showed miles-long traffic as people rushed to escape the fire.

Latest update

• Wednesday, 7:00 pm.: Caldor fire has grown to 207,931 acres in size
• Just 23% contained
• A total of 780 structures destroyed including 595 single residences, 12 commercial properties and 173 minor structures

Evacuation orders

• Grizzly Flat: areas on Grizzly Flats Road East of Kendra Way into Grizzle Flats Proper
• Areas of Diamond Railroad Grade, Steely Ridge, Sweeney Road, Caldor Road, and Old School House
• Area between Mormon Emigrant Trail and Highway 88
• Silver Fork Road in Kyburz East to Twin Bridges
• All roads north of Omo Ranch from Cedarville Road to Highway 88

Click here for a full list of evacuation orders in El Dorado County and Amador County.

Click here for a map of Caldor Fire evacuations.

Meanwhile, other California firefighters continued to work on containing the massive Dixie Fire, which has grown to 847,308 acres in size as of 7 p.m. Wednesday. The fire has been contained at 52%; it has destroyed more than a thousand structures.