More than 15,000 firefighters were battling dozens of California blazes, including crews from Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of California’s Office of Emergency Services. Overnight, the already massive Caldor Fire grew 7 miles (11 kilometers) in direction in one area northeast of Highway 50 and more than 8 miles (13 miles) in another, Cal Fire officials said. “We do not take this decision lightly but this is the best choice for public safety,” Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said. Forest Service announced Monday that all national forests in California would be closed until Sept. The threat of fire is so widespread that the U.S. “For the rest of you in California: Every acre can and will burn someday in this state.” The critical thing for the public to know is evacuate early,” said Chief Thom Porter, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “There is fire activity happening in California that we have never seen before. The El Dorado Sheriff’s Office transferred inmates to a neighboring jail. South Lake Tahoe’s main medical facility, Barton Memorial Hospital, evacuated dozens of patients. Monday’s evacuation orders came a day after communities several miles south of the lake were abruptly ordered to leave as the fire raged nearby. Now, it’s very real.”Īs flames churned toward South Lake Tahoe, residents just over the state line in Nevada faced evacuation warnings. “Until this morning, I didn’t think there was a chance it could come into this area. There’s 3,500 firefighters, all those bulldozers and all the air support,'” he said. “Before, it was, ‘No worries … it’s not going to crest. His son begged him to leave Sunday night, but he shrugged him off, certain that if an evacuation order came, it would be later in the week. Ken Breslin was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from his home in the city of 22,000, with only a quarter-tank of gas in his Ford Escape. The National Weather Service warned of critical fire weather conditions through Wednesday due to strong gusts, very low humidity and extremely dry fuels. But since then, 23 helicopters and three airtankers dumped thousands of gallons of water and retardant on the fire, Polito said. Thick smoke prevented air firefighting operations periodically last week. “There is a massive amount of resources ordered and they are all for structure protection,” fire spokesman Dominic Polito said early Tuesday. More firefighters arrived just after dark Monday and many were dispatched to protect homes in the Christmas Valley area about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from South Lake Tahoe. “It’s more out of control than I thought,” evacuee Glen Naasz said of the fire that by late Monday had been pushed by strong winds across California highways 50 and 89, burning mountain cabins as it swept down slopes into the Tahoe Basin. Police and other emergency vehicles whizzed by. Vehicles loaded with bikes and camping gear and hauling boats were in gridlock traffic, stalled in hazy, brown air that smelled like a campfire. The popular vacation haven normally filled with tens of thousands of summer tourists emptied out Monday as the massive Caldor Fire rapidly expanded. (AP) - A ferocious wildfire swept toward Lake Tahoe on Tuesday just hours after roads were clogged with fleeing cars when the entire California resort city of South Lake Tahoe was ordered to evacuate and communities just across the state line in Nevada were warned to get ready to leave.
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