Buildings lost in King Fire; 76,376 acres charred
Lake Valley firefighters are on the front lines of the King Fire. Photo/Lake Valley Fire
Updated 10:15pm:
Assessment teams say structures have been lost in the King Fire, but how many has not been determined.
“As soon as it is safe, we will have damage assessment teams enter the area to complete a full assessment and determine the type and number of structures affected,” officials said in a statement.
The fire burning mostly in the Eldorado National Forest, with some in the Tahoe National Forest in Placer County, is at 76,376 acres as of 10pm Sept. 19. It remains at 10 percent containment. The King Fire has set a record for number of air drops with more than 500,000 gallons of retardant used.
A Pollock Pines man who is now in custody allegedly started it Sept. 13. How it was started has not been disclosed. Wayne Allen Huntsman pleaded not guilty Friday. Bail was set at $10 million.
El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office said Huntsman broke into a Pollock Pines house to call 911 Sept. 13 to report the blaze.
The fire spread moderately Friday with most of the activity in the north end between French Meadows and Hell Hole Reservoir.
Officials said, “The north end of the fire had an east wind of 18-20 mph with gust of 38, pushing the fire to the west. Single and group tree torching was observed. There was a spot fire approximately 2 miles ahead of the main fire front requiring resources to withdraw from the area. The east winds and the up canyon winds were in opposition, which helped moderate fire behavior through the mid and lower portions of the fire. Tonight the down canyon winds and east wind are expected to compliment each other. This could bring more active than normal fire activity tonight.”
Four people have been injured, but details are not available.
As of Sept. 19, nearly 3,000 people were still on mandatory evacuation. There have been reports of people having their homes burglarized while they are displaced. An evacuation center has been established at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Camino. The latter is taking small pets, the former hasn’t had anyone show up.
Highway 50 is open. Westbound traffic is one lane from Riverton to Pollock Pines. For up-to-date road information, click on the state icon at the top of the home page of Lake Tahoe News.
Smoke continues to be an issue in parts of the Lake Tahoe Basin, and in Carson City and Reno. According to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, air quality monitors in Carson City and Gardnerville are reporting levels of particulate matter in the unhealthy range due to smoke from the King fire in California.
The Lake Tahoe Basin is not in danger and there are no evacuations in Tahoe. The U.S. Forest Service has issued an advisory for people to not hike or backpack in Desolation and Granite Chief wilderness areas. The McKinney Rubicon Trail has been closed. A closure notice has been issued for part of the Eldorado National Forest until the fire is out.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
The headline is exactly wrong. The weather and higher humidity particularly limited the King Fire advance.
If you don’t like the reporting here use another news source. Your negativity is tiresome and obnoxious.
The El Dorado National Forest is NOT closed! A closure notice was issued, but only for portions of the forest. Most of the Forest is open.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3817304.pdf
I tried to leave a comment earlier about the smoke in the area but was somehow cut off. Please stay indoors if you’re an older person or have respiratory issues and keep the kids inside today as well.
Bad air! Take care, OLS
Here is the exact Eldorado National Forest closure:
The King Fire Closure Area boundary begins at the intersection of Federal Highway 50 and Wrights Lake Road, then continues north along Wrights Lake Road to its intersection with the Pacific Ranger District boundary, then continues east along the Pacific Ranger District boundary to the Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) boundary, then continues north along the Eldorado National Forest and the (LTBMU) boundary to its intersection with the Eldorado National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest boundary, then continues 43.7 miles west along the Eldorado National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest boundary to its intersection with the Eldorado National Forest Administrative Boundary, then continues 34.6 miles south along the Eldorado National Forest Administrative boundary to its intersection with NSR-186, then continues south on NSR-186 t its intersection with Forest Road 11N86, then continues south along Forest Road 11N86 to its intersection with El Dorado County Road 108, then continues east along El Dorado County Road 108 to its intersection with Mosquito Road, then continues south along Mosquito Road to its intersection with Union Ridge Road, then continues southwest along Union Ridge Road to its intersection with Carson Road, then continues east 2.5 miles along Carson Road to its intersection with Federal Highway 50, then continues east along Federal Highway 50 back to the starting point. 36 CFR 261.53(e).
LTN staff
May all the firefighters succeed, and may they make it home safely to their loved ones.
Pretty smoky over here at the Airport, Be safe,Prayers for the fire men also ,
Well stated Arod. Thank you!
Thank you Kae. ;)
Prayers go out to all the firefighters and displaced families and all the confused and scared forest creatures.
Shanen
This morning it’s up over 80K acres. But on the NE front, it’s getting into more granite and less fuel, so that might help.