South Lake Tahoe, CA…The Caldor Fire remains a very active fire. The fight is NOT over! Despite 76% containment, recent dry and windy weather has increased fire activity in some areas along the fire perimeter. Currently, there are roughly 65-miles of uncontained fire line with the majority of those miles located along the eastern edge.

For the past several weeks, crews have been working in the Convict Meadow, Lake Margaret, and Caples Drainage areas in Division Quebec to construct handline near the fires edge. Steep, rocky terrain has made progress slow as personnel work with hand tools trying to clear vegetation between natural barriers. The recent increase in fire activity in that area has led incident managers to engage in alternate strategies and tactics to contain the fire. Direct containment remains the primary goal.

In an effort to reduce the potential for fire spread towards Christmas Valley and Alpine County; multiple, Interagency Type 1 Hotshot Crews have begun arriving to support a planned strategic firing operation in Division Quebec on Thursday, September 23. Bulldozers have been working to widen the Schneider Camp 4X4 Trail as a break in the vegetation along the east side of the fire. Crews will begin clearing vegetation along the fire side of the trail in preparation for the strategic firing operation.

Removing this vegetation will allow the crews to introduce low intensity ground fire which will remove available vegetation ahead of the main fire.

Low intensity ground fire is much safer for fire personnel to work with and presents a lower threat of spotting across control lines.

While the area along Division Quebec is the current priority for incident manages, a lot of heat remains throughout the burned area. The Caldor Fire burned over 313-square-miles of ground but not all vegetation within the area burned during the initial fire. There are islands of unburned vegetation within the fire footprint and heavy fuels, such as tree stumps and downed logs, which continue to burn within the perimeter.

As dry and windy conditions continue, there is the potential for interior fire activity to release an ember that can travel up to a mile from its source. If an ember travels far enough and lands in a receptive fuel bed outside of containment lines, there is the probability for a spot fire to ignite.

While fire personnel have made considerable progress in containing the Caldor Fire, the fight is NOT over! The fire is not out or fully contained.

Please remain vigilant and be mindful of what is happening in your community. If you are in an area under an Evacuation Warning, stay informed on the latest weather and fire conditions as the situation can change quickly. If an evacuation is ordered, understand there is an imminent threat to your personal safety, and you should leave immediately.

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