Caldor firefighters battle wind, spot fires as wildfire advances toward Tahoe
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 08/30/2021 - 11:55pm
The Caldor Fire burning in El Dorado County is now 186,568 acres in size and 15 percent contained. Firefighters had a battle on some sides of the fire while having successes on others.
Monday's expected southwestern wind pattern and dry fuels caused an increase in fire behavior located in the northeastern and eastern areas of the fire.
Fire continues to back down to Highway 50 threatening containment lines. Wind speeds continue to increase through steep drainages producing gusty and erratic winds. In these areas of the fire, fast moving crown fires are still present.
Wind conditions continue to create spotting distances between three quarters of a mile to one mile out. Areas of the fire where winds were limited still saw group torching due to critical fuel conditions and tightly packed canopies.
The current red flag warning remains in effect through 11:00 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2021
With the expected two-to-three day wind event starting Monday, fire officials are waiting to repopulate on the northwest edge but are planning on getting people back into their homes in Division A. During their nightly community meeting, Cal Fire command said they were "very successful" in this section.
In section D, south of Pollock Pines, there were some open lines and crews were able to get in there and are now working to get it secured. The US50 corridor along the northern end of the fire had no issues today and going into section H on the corridor, crews are mopping up and this are "looking good."
"This fire fight is still far from done," said Cal Fire.
As the perimeter of the fire moves around to the east, firefighters have been involved in a big fire fight for the last 24-36 hours. Command said no structures burned at Strawberry that they've seen but an inspection team will be going into the area soon.
"It was a rough, long day, but decently successful," command said during the meetings. Where the fuels run out, they've been using aircraft.
The fire moved into Lake Tahoe at section J, with a spot fire dropping across SR89 to the east side of the highway and its currently moving up. A Type 1 Incident Command is headed to Lake Tahoe and will be working together on the fire from different ends.
Section K was hit hard today and the fire crossed over SR88 towards Kirkwood. Crews are continuing to battle there.
Sections M and N are in mop up and patrol and "looking good."
The Numbers
Size: 186,568 acres
Containment: 15%
Civilian Injuries: 2
First Responder Injuries: 3
Structures Threatened: 33,679
Single Residences Threatened: 27,845
Multiple residences Threatened: 4,681
Businesses Threatened: 1,153
Structures Damaged: 39
Single Residences Destroyed: 482
Commercial Properties Destroyed: 11
Other Minor Structures Destroyed: 171
Evacuated: 51,023
Estimated incident costs to date: $70,239,671
Personnel on the fire: 3,784
Engines: 373
Water tenders: 76
Helicopters: 25
Handcrews: 82
Dozers: 85
Other: 72
