Lake Tahoe Fire wildfire is destroying homes and forests |
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June 28, 2007
Millions of outdoor lovers visit Lake Tahoe each year to take in its magnificent view and unlimited recreational activities and yes, even a little gambling at the lakeside Nevada casinos.
In part due to the high winds and very dry underbush, an uncontrolled wildfire broke out last week among the tall pines of the National Forest area in which the community is located.
Mike Lee, is a member of our staff and works from his home in South Lake Tahoe, a small town nestled at the south end of this high mountain lake.
He reports that the fire has done most damage in the nearby town of Meyers and along the south side of the lake. Thousands of residents have been hurriedly evacuated from their homes for their safety. The local hospital staff has been put on notice to standby in the event that it too has to be evacuated. Several adjacent parks, camps and businesses have been closed along Emerald Bay Road.
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Photo taken March 5, 2007
This is the view of Lake Tahoe with which most visitors are most familiar. |
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Photo taken June 27, 2007
This picture shows the smoke overhanging the south side of S. Lake Tahoe along Lake Tahoe Boulevard (US Route 50). The fire ravaged the small town of Meyer and many houses along the south side of the Lake near Camp Richardson.
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Lake Tahoe Airport (KTVL) is situated at the south end of town, close to the site of the fire. While it has an 8000+ foot runway, the airport was used by many helicopters as a base of operations for the fire fighting effort.
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Here you can see an unidentified helicopter lowering a bucket into the trees. The bucket contains a red fire retardant. Since Lake Tahoe Airport does not have a permanent fire fighting helicopter, the equipment was flown in from neighboring areas. A week after the fire ended, there have been initial discussions on trying to fund the $3 million cost to purchase a firefighting helicopter to be stationed at the airport and to the cover the yearly operating expenses. Many claim that the fire damage to the homes and businesses would have been much less had the fire fighting helicopters been available in South Lake Tahoe.
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Here you can clearly see the smoke among the tall pine trees. High winds fanned the flames which destroyed more than 250 houses and buildings. More than 1900 firefighters fought the blaze which jumped several backfires. The winds turned the fire into a very dangerous one for the firefighters. It is reported that nine helicopters helped to fight the fire. |
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Photo taken August 8, 2007 I returned to Lake Tahoe a month later and took this shot overlooking the valley facing northwest. If you enlarge the photo to the left, you'll clearly see how close the burn area is to the lake. |
Read the latest about the fire in the Tahoe Daily Tribune
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Author: Arnie Lee
Photos by Mike Lee and Arnie Lee.
If you have any comments or feedback about this article, please contact Arnie via email