Biden declares state of emergency in California as Caldor fire heads for Nevada: Lake Tahoe catches a break as weaker-than-predicted winds save it from obliteration
Firefighters held their ground against a massive California wildfire Thursday that threatened the Lake Tahoe area, as authorities warned against continuing dangers.
Strong winds that drove the Caldor Fire east through high elevations of the Sierra Nevada have faded, but localized gusts continued to pose a threat in the extremely dry woodlands, despite improving humidity levels.
'We lost the winds aloft,' incident meteorologist Jim Dudley told reporters during a morning briefing. 'It's a good day today to not have gusty winds up on the ridges. What we are going to have are terrain-driven winds' that happen as the sun heats the ground.
The Caldor Fire covered more than 328 square miles and was 25% contained early Thursday. Its northeast tip was south of the city of South Lake Tahoe and nearing the California-Nevada state line.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for California late Wednesday and ordered federal assistance to support efforts battling the Caldor wildfire.
But while the slowing winds might have spared Lake Tahoe, the blaze is now inching toward Nevada, California's easterly neighbor within days.
As of late Wednesday, the fire raged about five miles from the Nevada state line, The Los Angeles Times reported.
'I’d be surprised if it doesn’t make it to Nevada in the next day or so,' Craig Clements, director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University, told the outlet.
'This is a difficult fire to forecast. But our model shows it's going to keep going east.'
The Caldor fire continued to rage near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Wednesday
President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency for the region late Tuesday, ordering FEMA to deploy any necessary resources to firefighting efforts. The blaze has torn through nearly 208,000 acres
The fire was 23 percent contained, according to CalFire's most recent update Wednesday at 7:58 pm. PST.
The president’s emergency declaration authorizes Federal Emergency Management Agency to 'coordinate all disaster relief efforts' related to the fire.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Branch can now provide any necessary resources and equipment to the area, at the behest of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who previously called on Biden to declare a federal emergency.
Authorities say the fire is at least 23 percent contained, although it's now heading east toward the Nevada border
A campaign sign for Larry Elder, who wants to unseat Governor Gavin Newsom during an upcoming recall election, sits outside a fire that has injured at least five people
The Caldor wildfire was slowed Wednesday as firefighters expressed relief that wind gusts did not push it closer to South Lake Tahoe.
The town was deserted on Wednesday after tens of thousands of residents evacuated in fear of the fast approaching Caldor wildfire, which was about three-and-a-half miles within reach.
Evacuees from the area between Pollock Pines and Camino along Highway 50 were permitted to return home Wednesday afternoon as evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings.
The blaze has destroyed at least 780 structures and damaged 44 others. Five people have been injured, including two firefighters who suffered third-degree burns
Officials warned on Wednesday that stiff winds and dry conditions meant that homes in the California-Nevada alpine region are still in danger.
'We lucked out a little bit yesterday with some of the winds that didn't come up quite as hard as we expected them to,' Tim Ernst, an operations section chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told firefighters in a briefing.
'We were fortunate the fire did not make as strong a push into Tahoe as it did the previous day.'
Crews tried desperately to keep flames away from urban communities, where houses are close together and shopping centers, hotels and other structures would provide even more fuel for a fire that so far has been feeding on trees, grasses and scattered homes and cabins.
'We're still not out of the woods. The fire is still moving,' he said.
The fire has been burning toward Lake Tahoe from the southwest along California Highway 50, climbing over a Sierra Nevada summit and descending into the Tahoe Basin.
A helicopter carrying water prepares to make a drop on the massive fire in California's Eldorado National Forest
Governor Gavin Newsom, seen touring the fire area, asked President Joe Biden to declare a federal emergency
Biden approved California's emergency declaration, authorizing FEMA to send help and resources
The fire has been burning toward Lake Tahoe from the southwest along California Highway 50, climbing over a Sierra Nevada summit and descending into the Tahoe Basin.
More than 50,000 people across northeast California are under evacuation orders to avoid the fire including the 22,000 residents of the tourist trap of South Lake Tahoe.
Firefighters are now trying to steer Caldor into the areas of land to that were singed by the Tamarack fire - a smaller, more contained blaze.
Tamarack is 82 percent contained and is nine miles from South Lake Tahoe. Fire crews hope they can steer the more aggressive Caldor fire flames towards the Tamarack, which they think will stop it in its tracks and save the tourist town.
'It's a fresh burn, and if we get it steered into there... that basically stops the spread of fire. It's a very valid tactic that we're trying to do,' Eric Schwab, an operations section chief with Cal Fire, said on Tuesday afternoon.
Tahoe hasn't seen a fire of this size or ferocity for some 80 years and scientists believe prolonged periods of abnormally high temperatures, coupled with dry and windy conditions, make this year particularly dangerous.
The rush to get out on Tuesday created a surge in traffic on the roads and a race for taxis among those who do not have access to their own cars but by Wednesday, South Lake Tahoe was a ghost town.
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A firefighter knocks down hotspots in South Lake Tahoe, California
Firefighters lit a backfire to prevent the Caldor fire from spreading near South Lake Tahoe
A bear seeking refuge from the smoke and flames crosses a deserted road in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. There are growing concerns for the wildlife in the area
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The fire is moving at a frightening pace.
South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace told CNN on Tuesday night she expected it to take longer to reach the Lake Tahoe basin.
'There was a huge amount of granite between the fire and us and I woke up on Sunday and it had, it had jumped that granite and now it is in the Lake Tahoe basin and homes are threatened and our community is threatened and I never thought that was possible,' she said.
She said it took just five hours to evacuate the town and that most residents heeded the orders to leave.
'There was a lot of traffic, but we were able to evacuate our city in just five hours, which is good," she said. "We do have a very important holiday weekend.
'But we have good summers so Labor Day is sort of the last hurrah and, honestly, people's lives are more important than worrying about tourism,' she said.
A Lyft XL ride from South Lake Tahoe to Reno, Nevada, normally costs $200 but on Tuesday it soared to nearly eight times as much as people rushed to beat the flames.
Fire officials dealt with a two-week old blaze they said was 'more aggressive than anticipated,' and continued to edge toward the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe. Now, they are trying to steer the Caldor fire into the Tamarack Fire
The fires to the south of Lake Tahoe rage while more - like Dixie fire - torches through other northern parts of the state. Dixie has plowed through 844,000 acres of land and has destroyed more than 1,000 homes since the start of the month
This is how the Caldor fire has spread in just two weeks, scorching through 200,000 acres of land and marching towards the Lake Tahoe basin
50,000 people are under evacuation order now because of the fire, including Douglas County, in Nevada
Firefighters strategize the best course of action as the fire burns in the distance in Kirkwood, California
A firefighter chops up a smoldering tree trunk to prevent flare-ups in South Lake Tahoe, California
Uber had no drivers available in the area, leaving some of the people on the ground who do not have cars to rely on rescue teams or neighbors for a ride out of the area.
A furious resident shared a screenshot of the prices on Twitter Tuesday. Lyft has since disabled price gouging in the area.
In the meantime, a strike crew of 16 firefighters who would have been able to fight the flames has been completely sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.
South Lake Tahoe residents used snow blowers to spray water at the blaze
Charred appliances could be seen among the wreckage near Meyers, California, on Tuesday
It's unclear how many firefighters are now left to battle the blaze but at a briefing on Tuesday, Cal Fire incident commander Jeff Veik warned that if one more firefighter tests positive, it could halt the entire mission.
One volunteer firefighter, Richard Geraty, suffered third degree burns to 20 percent of his body. He is now in the hospital and his family is raising money for him via GoFundMe page that has so far raised $40,000.
On Wednesday, injured bears were seen roaming the deserted streets and burning forests trying to find shelter. Wildlife Disaster Network, a group of volunteers who work with California Fish and Wildlife, are on the streets looking for animals to save.
'This one's really scary. I'm afraid it's going to burn down the jewel of California,' resident Glen Naasz told CBS News.
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Satellite images taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES17 shows the fires across California
Lyft prices surged by nearly 800 percent on Tuesday as people desperately tried to flee South Lake Tahoe. A journey that normally costs $200 from South Lake Tahoe to Reno in an Uber XL was costing $1,500. The company has now disabled the automated price gouging
Lyft said on Tuesday that it had disabled the price gouging algorithm, which happens automatically in areas where there is increased demand and few cars.
In a statement, a spokesman told SF Gate: 'When ride requests outpace the number of drivers on the road, prime time pricing — elevated fares designed to get more drivers to high-demand areas — is automatically enabled.
'When we realized how the evacuation order was affecting Lyft prices, we immediately implemented a cap and ultimately suspended prime time pricing.'
Uber cars were regularly priced on the app but there were no drivers in the area.
It comes as fire chiefs warned crews at a briefing on the mission to wear masks in order to protect each other from COVID-19.
'We lost a whole strike team of crews yesterday, we lost a finance section chief due to COVID positive, so understand, do not come to this briefing without a mask on.
'I understand your views are important and I will always respect that as one of our leaders, but you are here at a briefing.
'One more COVID firefighter getting sick could take out our actions to protect the community and the people we're here to serve,' Veik said.
Geraty is a volunteer with West Stanislaus Fire District. He suffered third degree burns to his hands, arms, legs and groin on August 28 while battling the flames and he is now expected to be in the hospital for a month.
The fire district set up a GoFundMe to help pay for his care.
'Richard is expected to be hospitalized for at least one month to treat second and third degree burns to about 20 percent of his body.
Volunteer firefighter Richard Geraty suffered third degree burns battling the blaze on August 28 He is now expected to be in the hospital for a month while he recovers; so far, no deaths have been recorded
Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe stands deserted Tuesday following a mandatory evacuation order
Embers fly from a tree as the Caldor Fire burns along Highway 50 in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021
'Richard is husband to his wife Jennifer Gerety and father to a two year old son. This GoFundMe was established to help the Gerety's while Richard is treated at UC Davis Medical Center.
'Any help is greatly appreciated,' its description reads.
There are 22,000 residents in South Lake Tahoe who have been told to leave but some are choosing to stay behind, either because they want to help firefighters on the ground or because they don't feel as though they have anywhere to go.
Evacuation shelters have been opened for people with no friends or family to go to.
'This thing is just unstoppable,' Lee England, who fled her South Lake Tahoe apartment late Sunday, said as she looked at the Forest Service map outside the Carson City rec center Tuesday evening.
Before leaving, the 47-year-old hip hop skate performer and instructor initially thought - or hoped - she was seeing a storm in the distance.
'It was only wishful thinking that it was rain,' she said. 'It was smoke.'
WE HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO: SOUTH LAKE TAHOE RESIDENTS WHO ARE STICKING IT OUT TO HELP FIREFIGHTERS OR BECAUSE THEY'RE HOMELESS
Among those who stayed behind on Tuesday was David Duet, a South Lake Tahoe resident who is homeless.
He dismissed the idea of fleeing to nearby Carson City, saying his group didn't know anyone in the Nevada capital, and declined a ride a stranger offered him Monday.
Duet said he and his friends are checking the internet and radio for updates on the fire and plan to ride bicycles out or catch a ride from someone if it gets really bad.
'No one's stupid enough to stay when the flames are right mounting around the outside of the meadow. So as long as the smoke isn't so bad and the flames aren't real close, we´re going to stick it out, you know?' Duet said.
'But if not, we'll hightail it out. We'll get out.'
While most of his neighbors fled South Lake Tahoe as a major wildfire charged closer to town, Tod Johnson also stayed put.
The 66-year-old retiree swept up pine needles from the yard and roof of his home Tuesday after spending the night keeping an eye on reports of the advancing flames. The police knew he was there, but told him that when he leaves, he can't come back until it's safe.
Tod Johnson stands in front of his house in South Lake Tahoe, California on Tuesday. He spray-painted his house, which is not insured, hoping that firefighters would help save it if the fire reaches his neighborhood
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'I promised my kid I'd be out of here as soon as I saw any flames anywhere. And I'm trying to be here to help the firefighters,' he said.
After seeing gusty winds in the forecast as the fire moved closer to his Lake Tahoe community, Johnson said he planned to leave Tuesday afternoon to join his girlfriend in Reno, once he had packed up a few precious items to take with him.
While more than 20,000 residents and likely thousands of tourists packed roads leading out of Lake Tahoe on Monday to flee the Caldor Fire closing in on the resort community, a handful of people decided to buck the mandatory evacuation orders and stay behind.
With many emergencies, from wildfires to hurricanes, most people choose to comply with orders to leave. However, there are almost always a few holdouts, and their reasons for staying vary.
Of the few who stayed behind, some said they wanted to stick it out, pack more belongings and guard their property a little longer.