Alert: Smoke near Stateline is resurrection of control burn

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit fire crews are responding to the rekindling of a weeks-old prescribed fire off Andria Drive on Kingsbury Grade, near Stateline.

Three Forest Service crews and two engines were on the scene Thursday morning.

The fire is 10-12 acres in the middle of the unit. Extremely cold temperatures and high winds are creating difficult conditions for firefighters and interfering with the ability to pump water from engines. Full containment is expected at noon today.

The Forest Service last conducted prescribed fire operations in the unit a few weeks ago, and crews had been routinely monitoring and patrolling the area for fire activity. No smoke had been observed from the unit for the past five to seven days.

Early this morning, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District reported to the Forest Service that the prescribed fire unit was active. Tahoe Douglas firefighters were the first on scene but have since been released.