New Caldor Fire evacuations orders, warnings go up as wildfire pushes toward South Lake Tahoe; containment drops to 13 percent

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is excited to announce that Adam Sullivan has been appointed to serve as Nevada’s 24th State Engineer and Administrator of the Department’s Division of Water Resources.

An early morning in Washoe Valley filled with smoke from the Tamarack Fire and some of the wildlife in the surrounding area.

UPDATE TUESDAY: The Tamarack Fire has now burned through 39,045 acres and is 0 percent contained. There has been extreme fire behavior in the form of crowning, spotting and surface runs along active perimeter of the fire, which is burning in mixed conifer, heavy mountain brush/grass, sage and juniper.

MINDEN — A precautionary boil water notice has been issued for the East Valley Water System in the Skyline Service Area of Douglas County, effective Immediately. This precautionary boil water notice is being issued due to a loss of pressure in the Skyline service area.

Air quality around Carson City and Dayton was in the "unhealthy" category Monday morning due to smoky skies from the Tamarack Fire in Alpine County. For the Carson Valley area in Douglas County, the air quality was in the "very unhealthy" range according to airnow.gov. The air quality monitors change hourly.

To the Carson City Community: After almost 57 years, it is time to say goodbye. Our experiences are many and our memories are full, we take those with us. You, the community have been a big part of our lives in so many ways, the children, families, workers, business connections, and the support agencies, city and state.

The beautiful gothic style Foreman-Roberts House, 1207 North Carson Street (yellow house), Carson City, will be open to the public Sunday, July 25, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Docents will tell the story of the Roberts family and their connection to the seeress Eilley Bowers, how the house came to Carson City in 1874, facts about the family and the famous spiritualist of the home.

Skies filled with smoke make for interesting lighting against the backdrop of the sun.

The Kings Canyon Road and Trailhead Project, located west of Carson City, will make improvements to Kings Canyon Road, as well as construct a new 25 stall parking area at the existing trailhead. Other amenities will include installation of a vault toilet, ADA parking stall and OHV/equestrian trailer parking. Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-July and likely continue through October.

Smoke blew in Friday night from the Tamarack fire over the Minden-Tahoe Airport.

UPDATE: The threat of dry lightning from thunderstorms expected to move into the Carson City region and Sierra Front has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning beginning at 8 p.m. tonight and lasting through 11 a.m. Monday.

With the smoky sky it looks like Cactus Jack in Carson City is catching the sun.

UPDATE SUNDAY, 11 a.m.: According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire size has been revised to 18,299 acres and is still 0 percent contained. There is a red flag warning today from 11 AM through tomorrow at 11 AM. There are thunderstorms predicted today in the afternoon that may cause erratic winds in the fire area.

Today, firefighters will continue to actively suppress the fire where they can do so safely. Crews will be focusing on preserving life and property with point protection of structures and putting in containment lines where possible. Aviation resources are available to assist with water delivery when smoke conditions allow. The fire continues to impact the community of Markleeville and the surrounding areas.

Evacuations: Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations.

Closures: Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. Please slow down and drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will continue to arrive and use the Highway to access the fire. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.

UPDATE: As of 6 p.m. Saturday, the Tamarack Fire had burned 21,000 acres and was zero percent contained. Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations. "The Mesa" is under a voluntary evacuation (as of 3:00pm) but conditions are changing fast.

Closures: Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. Please slow down and drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will continue to arrive throughout the evening. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.
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UPDATE AND CORRECTION 4:39 p.m.: The Tamarack Fire was not started on Friday, as previously reported, but was caused by a lightning strike on the 4th of July and rose in strength on Friday due to high winds.

According to Inciweb, the current information is as follows:

The 6,600 acre Tamarack Fire burned actively through the night and has consumed 6,600 acres. The fire continues to burn in a northerly direction backing towards Highway 89 south of Markleeville towards the Carson River. The fire is 0% contained.

Today, firefighters will continue to utilize aviation resources to support handline construction where they can safely do so to minimize the spread of the fire towards areas of unburned fuels and structures. In addition, structure protection fire engines from the local area with support from wildland fire engines will continue to suppress the fire as it encroaches into the community of Markleeville and the surrounding areas. A local hotshot crew will utilize suppression tactics to take advantage of natural barriers and areas of opportunity to increase the containment throughout the burning period. Additional suppression resources have been ordered and will be arriving throughout the day to support the firefighting efforts.

As per the Alpine County Sheriff's Department, mandatory evacuations are in place for the following areas: Grover Hot Springs, Shay Creek, MarkleeVillage, Markleeville, Carson River Resort, & Poor Boy Road area, Wolf Creek Campground, Silver Creek Campground, ADDITIONALLY Sierra Pines, Upper and Lower Manzanita, Crystal Springs, Alpine Village, Diamond Valley Road and Hung-a-lel-ti are now under mandatory evacuations. "The Mesa" is under a voluntary evacuation (as of 3:00pm, 7/17/21) but conditions are changing fast. Please stay out of these areas to allow emergency personnel to do their jobs.

Highway 89 is closed at the intersection of Highway 4 and 89. Highway 4 is currently open west of the Highway 89 and Highway 4 junction. The public is reminded to drive with caution in the area as fire crews and equipment will be arriving throughout the day. Please refer to https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ for closure specifics.

With active burning throughout the night and predicted fire activity today, the Carson Valley and surrounding areas may be impacted by the smoke and light ash fall throughout the day and into the evening hours.

On July 15th and 16th detectives assigned to the Regional Narcotics Unit (RNU) arrested Justin Gardner-Edelman, 22, and Roman McGregor, 23, for selling nearly 200 fraudulent prescription pills to undercover detectives.