Kingsbury Grade open; fire almost contained
Spot fires are flaring up outside the main King Fire. Photo/Tahoe Douglas Fire
Updated June 12 7:50pm:
Kingsbury Grade is open now that firefighters have a handle on the wildfire that erupted on the Carson Valley side of the Sierra highway.
Douglas County sheriff’s Sgt. Pat Brooks told Lake Tahoe News fire crews are expected to be working the fire throughout the night. However, containment of the approximately 5 acre blaze is expected soon.
Updated June 12 7:10pm:
One of the nearly 200 firefighters battling the King Fire is being treated for heat exhaustion.
The fire near the top of Kingsbury Grade continues to burn out of control, with spot fires erupting outside the main fire line.
An army of fire apparatuses are along Kingsbury Grade. Photo/Susan Wood
The red flag wind advisory for the area is in effect through 11pm.
The fire is burning away from the Ridge Tahoe, though people in rooms looking out to the Carson Valley can see smoke.
“If the wind changes, we have procedures to follow,” Sharon Graham with the resort told Lake Tahoe News. The fire is about three miles north of the ridgetop tourist area.
The Ridge knows all about evacuating. Guests had to flee during the 2002 Gondola Fire.
As of now, no evacuations of tourists or the heavily populated residential area are in place with the King Fire, nor are any structures threatened.
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A wildfire on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade started just before 3 this afternoon.
Motorists must find another route between the valley and Lake Tahoe because Kinsbury Grade is closed from Tramway Drive to Foothill Road. It is being called the King Fire.
The fire started about one mile from the summit and as of 4:30pm was between 5 and 10 acres and growing.
This shows the area of the fire.
Eric Guevin with Tahoe Douglas Fire told Lake Tahoe News, “No structures are threatened at this time. Possible cause at this time is lightning.”
Winds have been heavy for much of Wednesday, which is causing the fire to spread in a northeast direction.
No air support has been called in because winds are 40 to 50 mph at the head of the fire, Guevin said.
Tahoe Douglas, East Fork and U.S. Forest Service firefighters are on scene.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report