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Caldor Fire: Sept. 5-20

A sandy beach that touches the edge of Lake Tahoe. There is smoke in the sky, which is causing trees and mountains in the background to be difficult to see. The smoke is also creating a sepia-like tint over the photo.
Paul Boger
/
KUNR Public Radio
Heavy smoke was visible in Lake Tahoe on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021.

KUNR is no longer actively updating this blog as of Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Continued updates can be found on InciWeb, in addition to the following social media pages: CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit on Facebook or Twitter, Eldorado National Forest on Facebook or Twitter, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook and Twitter, and El Dorado County on Facebook and Twitter

Maps of evacuation areas can be viewed for El Dorado County here, Amador County here and Alpine County here. Updates on road conditions can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites. CAL FIRE also has resources and tips available for evacuees returning home.

10:32 a.m. | Sept. 20, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 219,000 acres and 75 percent contained.

Monday morning’s incident update is available below, which includes information on evacuation orders and/or warnings in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador Counties, and continued updates can be viewed by visiting InciWeb:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found hereAdditional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on InciWeb.

8:57 a.m. | Sept. 19, 2021

Even with gusty winds, fire crews kept the Caldor Fire in its current footprint. The blaze did not grow overnight, and the latest estimates have the blaze at 218,876 acres with 71% containment.

Sunday morning’s incident update is available below, which includes information on evacuation orders and/or warnings in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador Counties:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to InciWeb for updates.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on InciWeb and CAL FIRE’s incidentwebsite.

10:15 a.m. | Sept. 18, 2021

The Caldor Fire has burned 218,876 acres and the latest estimates have containment at 71%.

Saturday morning’s incident update is available below, which includes information on evacuation orders and/or warnings in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador Counties:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to InciWeb for updates.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on InciWeb and CAL FIRE’s incidentwebsite.

11:32 a.m. | Sept. 17, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 218,000 acres and containment remains at 71 percent.

According to Friday morning’s fire incident report, California Interagency Incident Management Team 12 is now the lead incident management team for the fire. The report is available below, which includes information on evacuation orders and/or warnings in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador Counties:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to InciWeb for updates.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on InciWeb and CAL FIRE’s incidentwebsite.

8:36 a.m. | Sept. 16, 2021

Firefighters continued to make progress on the Caldor Fire yesterday, but a storm system coming to the region this weekend could increase fire activity.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a fire weather watch Saturday for the eastern Sierra and western Nevada.

Crews battling the Caldor Fire today will continue to build containment lines west from Echo Lakes into Desolation Wilderness. As of this morning, the blaze is estimated to be 71% contained.

The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Thursday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Note: The evacuation sites at Cameron Park Community Services District, Green Valley Community Church, Truckee Veterans Hall, Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Douglas County Community and Senior Center, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

8:48 a.m. | Sept. 15, 2021

Fire crews continue to make progress on the Caldor Fire south of Lake Tahoe. Today, they plan to work on remaining heat and uncontained lines in more remote areas of the fire, including Echo Lake and Desolation Wilderness.

The fire has made very little progress over recent days, which has allowed fire fighters to do more repair work in areas near homes. Fire weather is expected to be fairly mild this week, but strong gusty winds could swing back into the area into this weekend.

The Caldor Fire is currently estimated to be 70% contained.

The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Wednesday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

7:56 a.m. | Sept. 14, 2021

Officials have closed the evacuation site at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

Fire crews kept the Caldor Fire in check overnight. Containment grew slightly to 68% as of this morning.

The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Tuesday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

7:55 a.m. | Sept. 13, 2021

Several evacuation orders and warnings are continuing to be downgraded in areas impacted by the Caldor Fire.

Over the weekend, all residences in the Christmas Valley area were downgraded to evacuation warnings, while the entire city of South Lake Tahoe had its warnings lifted. But many evacuation orders remain in place.

As of this morning, crews have the Caldor Fire 67% contained. The blaze has burned more than 342 square miles (219,267 acres).

The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Monday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

10:49 a.m. | Sept. 12, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be nearly 219,000 acres and containment has reached 65 percent.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, and Amador Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The precautionary evacuation warnings in Douglas County have been lifted. More information from Douglas County is available here. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Sunday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

10:44 a.m. | Sept. 11, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 218,000 acres and containment has reached 60 percent.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Saturday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

There are shelters available for evacuees:

Note: The evacuation sites at Cameron Park Community Services District, Green Valley Community Church, Truckee Veterans Hall, Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Douglas County Community and Senior Center, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Several animal evacuation centers are also available:

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

5:05 p.m. | Sept. 10, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 218,000 acres and containment remains at 53 percent.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Friday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

There are shelters available for evacuees:

Note: The evacuation sites at Cameron Park Community Services District, Green Valley Community Church, Truckee Veterans Hall, Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Douglas County Community and Senior Center, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Several animal evacuation centers are also available:

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

8:37 a.m. | Sept. 9, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 217,000 acres and is 53 percent contained.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Thursday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Several shelters have been set up for evacuees:

Note: The evacuation sites at Cameron Park Community Services District, Green Valley Community Church, Truckee Veterans Hall, Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Food assistance is also available for evacuees throughout Northern Nevada.

There are several animal evacuation centers available:

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

10:14 a.m. | Sept. 8, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 217,000 acres and is 50 percent contained.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Wednesday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Several shelters have been set up for evacuees:

*The Green Valley Community Church and Truckee Veterans Hall sites are scheduled to be consolidated to Rolling Hills Church at 800 White Rock Road in El Dorado Hills, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the following times:

Note: The evacuation sites at Cameron Park Community Services District, Truckee Veterans Hall, Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Food assistance is also available for evacuees throughout Northern Nevada.

There are several animal evacuation centers available:

The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday the Zephyr Cove, Stateline and Glenbrook post offices have reopened for full retail and P.O. Box service.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

Barton Health Reopens Some Services In South Lake Tahoe
By Lucia Starbuck

With residents returning to South Lake Tahoe, Barton Health has reopened some of its services. Effective immediately, Barton Memorial Hospital is open 24/7, including the emergency department, and urgent care is also open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

Barton Medical Offices will continue with virtual and phone visits. Patients are being asked to use MyChart communication for all medical service lines.

Lucia Starbuck is a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project

Lake Tahoe Community College Postpones First Day Of Class To Give Evacuated Staff, Students More Time
By Lucia Starbuck

Fall classes at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe start Monday, Sept. 20 — a week later than planned due to the Caldor Fire.

It’s been a bumpy month for staff on campus. The college went virtual two weeks ago due to poor air quality, and it closed completely last week after the area was put under a mandatory evacuation order.

President Jeff DeFranco said most of his staff were forced to leave their homes and local students also had to evacuate. He said school was pushed back to give them more time to resettle. 

“At one point, it was like a gut punch. We’ve dealt with just these huge crises, just getting through COVID, and then it’s coming back and hitting us, again, with the Delta variant. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, I just can’t believe we just can’t get a break here,’ ” DeFranco said.

The school is back open online for services like counseling and class registration.

12:05 p.m. | Sept. 7, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 216,000 acres and is 49 percent contained.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Tuesday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Several shelters have been set up for evacuees:

The following evacuation centers are scheduled to close this week:

Note: The evacuation sites at Carson City Community Center, Fuji Park, Dayton Event Center and Lyon County Fairgrounds have closed.

Food assistance is also available for evacuees throughout Northern Nevada.

There are several animal evacuation centers available:

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

9:08 a.m. | Sept. 6, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 216,000 acres and is 44 percent contained.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Monday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Several shelters have been set up for evacuees:

Note: The shelters at Carson City Community Center and Fuji Park have closed.

*The Lyon County sites are dry camps, which can provide water, but there are no connections available.

In addition, the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center at 1101 Sutro Street in Reno, NV, is serving as an evacuation site. Small and large pets are welcome, and the site has full RV hookups; however, there are no cots available at this location.

Food assistance is also available for evacuees throughout Northern Nevada.

There are several animal evacuation centers available:

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

9:22 a.m. | Sept. 5, 2021

The Caldor Fire is estimated to be more than 215,000 acres and containment remains at 43 percent.

Several areas in El Dorado, Alpine, Amador and Douglas Counties are under evacuation orders and/or warnings. The latest incident report from CAL FIRE, published Sunday at 7 a.m., is available below, which includes evacuation orders, evacuation warnings, road closures and resources:

A PDF version of this incident report can be found here, and you can continue to CAL FIRE’s official incident website for updates. Road conditions may change, and updates can be found by visiting the Caltrans or NDOT websites.

Additional information about the Caldor Fire can be found on CAL FIRE’s official incidentwebsite and InciWeb.

Danna has been with KUNR Public Radio since 1995. She started as a weekend announcer, then full time jazz host and in 2008 became the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition.
Michelle Billman is a former news director at KUNR Public Radio.
Michele Ravera joined KUNR in 2014 as a volunteer and was added to the part-time broadcast staff in October 2015. She is currently the station’s host for Morning Edition.
Noah Glick is a former content director and host at KUNR Public Radio.
Lucia Starbuck is an award-winning political journalist and the host of KUNR’s monthly show Purple Politics Nevada. She is passionate about reporting during election season, attending community events, and talking to people about the issues that matter most to them.
Crystal Willis (she/her/hers) is a digital editor at KUNR Public Radio and manages the station’s digital offerings.
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