5/16/2023 0 Comments Fallen leaf lake caldor fireSoon, she was helping her parents evacuate too, as evacuation orders were extended. She then went to her parents house on the other side of town. Her area of town was closest to the flank that poses one of the greatest threats to structures. Goodman Collins said she had been ready to evacuate for weeks. “It was all very surreal because it happened quickly,” she said. Neighbors were calling neighbors who might be vulnerable. She said that the community rallied together, even as people were evacuating on short notice. The fire is ingrained in many residents’ memories.ĭarcie Goodman Collins grew up in South Lake Tahoe and now serves as the chief executive officer of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, a conservation group behind the “Keep Tahoe Blue” sticker. That 2007 fire burned 3,100 acres and destroyed about 250 homes in a similar area of southwest Tahoe near Fallen Leaf Lake and Echo Lake. Local residents point to the Angora Fire as the closest analog. But there are few points of comparison for the Caldor Fire. Not everyone has money for gas, let alone a vehicle, to drive to Reno and stay there for weeks.įor decades, South Lake Tahoe has been preparing for the worst-case scenario, an evacuation on a citywide scale. When fire officials made the call to extend a mandatory evacuation across the town, it was a strain for many residents. Meanwhile, full-time residents, many who provide essential services to the community, felt the squeeze from the same economic issues facing other Western mountain towns whose economies rely on a delicate balance of attracting tourists and part-time residents - while supporting local residents.ĭespite the mansions, private buoys and pristine boats, the median household income for South Lake Tahoe is $49,390, lower than what it is for other parts of California. As the COVID-19 pandemic set in and remote work became an option for some employees, residents from big cities, including San Francisco, moved in. South Lake Tahoe has a population of about 20,000 residents, a size that swells each weekend with tourists. The Lake Tahoe Basin, straddling the California and Nevada border, is a lot of things to a lot of people. (Christian Monterrosa/The Nevada Independent) Police and National Guard occupy the Stateline as Mandatory Evacuations close down South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, Sept. The Lyon County Fair Grounds and Dayton Event Center are open for camping. Evacuees were being directed to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. What is going to happen next?īy Tuesday afternoon, the Carson City evacuation center was at full capacity, as was the Red Cross outpost in Gardnerville. But the scope of the evacuation orders, which apply to all of South Lake Tahoe and neighboring lake communities in Nevada, give him pause. These measures and others have helped fend off flames.īut all of these fights come with a sadness, and an uncertainty about losing a special place.Īs with other South Lake Tahoe residents who evacuated this week, Arce is hopeful he can return home. On Monday, photos showed snow machines at the resort being repurposed to fight the fire. He recounted working at Sierra-at-Tahoe, a ski resort along Highway 50 that was hit by the Caldor Fire, the intense blaze threatening the lake’s southern and western landscapes. In some cases, blazes like the Dixie Fire have flattened small towns, with few resources to rebuild.Īrce has lived in Lake Tahoe for about two decades. Another challenging moment in a summer that has seen many, as one fire after another, driven by extreme weather and drought, have threatened communities in the northern Sierra. A devastating fire making a steady march toward the town. Now the fire is destroying everything, everything I know.”Īn evacuation unprecedented in scale. When I think of the mountain, it was beautiful. He stood by the truck with his father, visiting from out of the country, in the parking lot of the Carson City Community Center, a shelter for evacuees. The day before, Arce evacuated from South Lake Tahoe with his four children. The wind whipped ash around in Carson City on Tuesday afternoon as Carlos Arce laid his hand on the bed of a white pick-up truck.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |