Some debris from Queen entering lake

Ash from the Tahoe Queen blows into Lake Tahoe on Aug. 30. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

Ash and other debris were seen entering Lake Tahoe on Tuesday from the charred remains of the Tahoe Queen.

“They are getting a lot of ash in the lake. They are not containing what used to be chairs and tables,” a person who works in the area told Lake Tahoe News.

The work finally had to be halted on Aug. 30 because the wind was picking up in the late afternoon. Ash was being blown onto nearby boats as well.

A team is in place to handle the removal of items as well as take care of the lake. Still, soot is reaching the waters.

The paddle-wheeler caught fire earlier this month in what has been ruled a construction fire. Painters and welders were on the vessel that morning when the fire started. The final report from the U.S. Coast Guard is expected this fall.

“In part of their contract is cleaning the lake bottom around the Tahoe Queen, removing the glass and all those things that fell into the lake,” Tahoe Douglas Fire Marshal Eric Guevin told Lake Tahoe News.

The mitigation team hired by Aramark, the firm that owns the boat, must record what the lake floor looks like and have divers remove the foreign objects.

Guevin said some ash on the lake is not something to be concerned about.

“They pumped out all the fuel and all the fire water, and it was taken out of the basin,” Guevin said.

Nothing hazardous remains on the boat.

Another firm has been hired to close a hole on the bottom of the boat where work was being done to replace the hull. That was part of the necessary work ordered by the Coast Guard after the Queen twice hit a sand bar in 2014.

As for the future of the vessel, that will be up to Aramark.

“No new info or updates,” David Freireich with Aramark told Lake Tahoe News.

It’s possible the steel hulled-boat could to sit at the Zephyr Cove dock through the winter. Reports are people in the area would like to buy the remnants.