In the southern Sierra Nevada, there was growing concern after the French Fire expanded near Lake Isabella, a popular fishing and boating destination. At least 682 homes were among more than 1,270 buildings that have been destroyed. The Dixie Fire, which broke out July 13, was 43% contained. New evacuations were ordered after winds pushed the blaze to the northeast on Wednesday, as flames crossed State Route 44 and headed toward campgrounds near Eagle Lake. Meanwhile, California's Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history at 1,148 square miles was burning only about 65 miles to the north. More than 2,500 firefighters were on the line and more resources were streaming in, including big firefighting aircraft, fire officials said.Ī firefighter walks through smoky woods while battling the blaze threatening Lake Tahoe

On the fire's eastern side, crews bulldozed fire lines, opened up narrow logging roads and cleared ridgetops in hopes of stopping its advance, fire officials said. The western side of the blaze continued to threaten more than a dozen small communities and wineries. It was 11% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures. The Caldor fire has destroyed at least 461 homes since August 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of the lake. However, the Washoe County School District's schools in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe remained closed, the district said in a statement. The school district that includes Reno reopened most schools on Wednesday, citing improved air quality conditions. The Washoe County School District closed all schools in Reno, Sparks and parts of Lake Tahoe due to the air quality Smoke from wildfires in neighboring California blankets neighborhood streets in suburban Sparks, Nevada just east of Reno, Monday. The Caldor Fire has now moved within 20 miles of Lake Tahoe, eating its way through rugged timberlands and 'knocking on the door' of the basin that straddles the state line with Nevada, California's state fire chief Thom Porter warned. Stunning photos from Lake Tahoe showed the dense, orange haze hanging above the pristine freshwater mountain lake caused by the massive 126,182-acre Caldor fire south of it.Īsh rained down and tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from the unhealthy air. Meanwhile, the federal air-quality data site AirNow reported its index - which runs on a different scale than Purple Air - showed South Lake Tahoe with air quality levels at 422 on a scale from 0-500 on Wednesday, an alarming and 'hazardous' number. South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City on the west shore had the nation's worst air pollution at midmorning Wednesday, reaching 334, in the 'hazardous' category of the 0-500 Air Quality Index, according to AirNow, a partnership of federal, state and local air agencies.The air quality at the California vacation hotspot of Lake Tahoe has become the worst in the world after local wildfires.ĭata from Purple Air, a company that sells home air quality monitors, shows that the air quality index at 530 for Lake Tahoe on Wednesday - by far the worst in the world.Īn air quality index of between zero and 50 is considered clean and healthy, while 51-100 is considered moderate, and anything from 101 upwards is considered potentially dangerous. The Caldor Fire spread to within 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of the lake that straddles the California-Nevada state line, eating its way through rugged timberlands and 'knocking on the door' of the Lake Tahoe basin, California's state fire chief Thom Porter warned this week.Īsh rained down on Tuesday and tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from the unhealthy air. A California fire that gutted hundreds of homes advanced toward Lake Tahoe on Wednesday as thousands of firefighters tried to box in the flames and tourists who hoped to boat or swim were enveloped in a thick yellow haze of the nation's worst air. It is now less than 20 miles from Lake Tahoe. The massive wildfire has scorched more than 190 square miles and destroyed hundreds of homes since Aug. Smoke from the Caldor Fire shrouds Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., on Tuesday.

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