2 young girls deliberately start fire in South Lake

South Tahoe firefighters quickly extinguish the Aug. 22 blaze. Photo/SLTFD

Life imitated art in a dangerous way on Tuesday when two youngsters started a fire by the apartments on Lake Tahoe Boulevard just below South Tahoe High School.

“The 8- and 10-year-old girls are fans of ‘Naked and Afraid’ and wanted to start a survival fire,” Police Chief Brian Uhler told Lake Tahoe News. (This is a television show about surviving in the elements.)

They were successful in starting the fire the afternoon of Aug. 22, but not so good with putting it out. It grew to about 20 feet by 30 feet by the time firefighters extinguished it.

When they saw the response by fire and police they came forward and admitted what they had done.

Police officers and firefighters talked with the two youngsters as well as their parents.

While this situation could have turned out a lot worse, Uhler said he is confident the message hit home, and hopes the incident is a teaching moment for other parents and a lesson for other kids who might think about starting an illegal fire.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report