Firefighters douse small blaze at Bijou disc golf course

A small fire at the disc golf course in South Lake Tahoe was quickly extinguished Wednesday afternoon.

While the fire was only 5-feet by 5-feet, three agencies responded in case it were to have grown. South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley and the U.S. Forest Service responded to hole 22.

A witness told firefighters he saw some kids in the area before he saw the fire. He also told crews he was able to put out a small fire a couple days earlier.

Karl Koeppen, shift commander with South Tahoe, told Lake Tahoe News there is no definitive cause of how the June 20 fire started.

Firefighters throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin and region are on heightened alert because a small fire can grow into something unmanageable in short order. Plus, there have been a number of red flag days – which is unusual for this early in the season.

While June 20 was not one of those days, Thursday has already been labeled a red flag day because of the expected 40 mph gusts.

Koeppen said with how dry everything is the threat of fire increases as the winds increase.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report