Tamarack Fire explodes to 50,000 acres, 4 percent contained; 395 in south Douglas remains closed
UPDATE 2:44PM: Guided escorts on Highway 395 in south Douglas County were allowed to happen briefly this afternoon before being stopped completely as gusty winds picked up, pushing the fire closer to Highway 395 and homes in the Topaz Ranch Estate area. The residences threatened are in the evacuation zone.
***
The Tamarack Fire has expanded to 50,129 acres as of approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, according to updates from InciWeb. The fire now has four percent containment with a total of 1,219 personnel working on the scene.
According to a news release by the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, there was active fire behavior yesterday afternoon with crowning, short crown runs and prolific spotting as the winds built up. Fuels remain extremely dry.
Highway 395 is closed from China Spring Road to the NV/CA Stateline, and at 395 and SR 208. Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. State Route 88 is closed in California. For road closure specifics visit https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ and https://nvroads.com/.
According to a news release, Alpine County Sheriff’s Office and El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office are providing escorts for residents located in the evacuation area to secure pets, papers and emergency items. Escorts will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 to 5 p.m. on July 22, 2021. Locations in the evacuation area are dependent on fire activity.
Additional escorts on future dates will be determined by fire activity. If you are interested in receiving an escort to your residence please proceed to the Nevada/California Stateline located on Foothill Rd.
Evacuations were issued late Wednesday night for all residents in the Topaz Ranch Estates and Topaz Lake areas. Residents were asked to evacuate to Smith Valley High School, located at 20 Day Lane, Smith, Nev.
For updates on fire statistics, road closures, and evacuation information, go to the Tamarack Fire information Facebook page here, or on Twitter here.