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C A L I F O R N I A ’ S O L D E S T N E W S PA P E R – E S T. 18 51
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VOLUME 170 • ISSUE 105 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
Photo courtesy of the EDH Fire Department
Flames engulf a Howard Drive residence in Rescue Saturday morning. The home was a total loss.
Flames raze Rescue home U.S. Forest Service photo by Tim Owens
Eldorado National Forest firefighters head up the Caldor Fire at Trimmer Peak in South Lake Tahoe.
Fire crews flown into the backcountry to fight Caldor Thomas Frey Staff writer Many residents of areas threatened by the Caldor Fire have seen evacuation orders lifted in the last week as firefighters edge the 216,646-acre forest fire. Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service officials reported containment grew from 37% Saturday morning to 49% by Tuesday morning. Some areas that have experienced warmer temperatures and lower humidity can’t be confirmed as contained, according to Eric Schwab, Cal Fire operations section chief. “We like to get these lines tested under different weather events before we call it contained,” Schwab said. “We have to be reasonably assured that the fire is going to stay within that perimeter. We will hesitate to call something contained until (it) gets wind tested.” PLACE ADDRESS LABEL HERE
area. The fixed-wing aircraft dip into nearby Lake Tahoe and drop some 1,600 gallons of water each load. “That aircraft doesn’t put out fire but it supports the boots on the ground and that’s exactly what it’s doing in there … and we are going to continue that as long as we have clean air,” Cagle said. Near upper and lower Echo Lake fire officials reported structure prep of cabins has been completed as firefighters try to hold the fire to the south and west. “It’s looking good there,” Cagle said. A contingency containment line has been constructed along Wrights Lake Road almost all the way up to the lake itself. Schwab reported an additional contingency line cuts mid-slope from Wrights to Ice House Road, paralleling Highway 50 and then
Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service
A member of the Price Valley Heli-rappellers on the Payette National Forest puts on personal protective equipment before working on the Caldor Fire. Fire crews have been helicoptered into Desolation Wilderness east of Wrights Lake where they “camp out” for multiple days to battle the blaze. Schwab said it would be more than a two-hour hike each way, so dropping them in is easier. Helicopters deliver essential items to the teams. Monday night those specially trained crews worked into the
early morning mopping up and constructing hand lines near Ralston Lake. Schwab said it’s one of the more active areas on the Caldor Fire and a “ton” of resources are on hand there. Jake Cagle, operations section chief with the California Interagency Incident Management Team, said super scoopers are also working that
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Noel Stack Managing editor
Fire leveled a Rescue home early Saturday morning. At 2:13 a.m. Rescue, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, El Dorado County and Cal Fire firefighting crews were dispatched to a reported house fire in the 2300 block of Howard Drive in the Green Springs neighborhood. The roughly 4,000-square-foot home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene, EDH/Rescue Fire Chief Maurice Johnson told the Mountain Democrat. “Fire hydrants are sparse in this area and presented challenges maintaining water to the scene of the fire,” Johnson said. “The family did an excellent job with the defensible space around their home, which ultimately helped keep the fire from spreading through the neighborhood in the vegetation.” A family of three escaped the flames without injury. No firefighter injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation and the home is a total loss estimated at $900,000.
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Placerville studies broadband future Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer In rural communities internet connectivity can be hard to come by but that has the potential to change in Placerville, according to City Manager Cleve Morris. City leaders have been studying how to implement broadband in the city of Placerville. The last 18-plus months of quarantine, homeschooling, video chatting with family and Zoom meetings have illuminated one simple fact: high-speed internet access is no longer an extravagance; it is a necessity. “We’ve been looking at it for some time but I
See CALDOR, page A7
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See BROADBAND, page A9
Wildlife displaced by Caldor receive aid Miranda Jacobson Tahoe Daily Tribune SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The Caldor Fire displaced thousands of Lake Tahoe residents last week but for the last three weeks, Sierra wildlife has also been fleeing flames. There are many “on the ground” agencies that have been helping in the wake of this disaster through rescuing and treating animals at temporary shelters, transporting them when needed and taking them to other animal shelters nearby. In an effort to help support these
frontline workers and the animals being displaced, the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation announced last week it would be awarding $1 million to 29 different organizations for rescuing and rehabilitating these animals. “We are honored to be able to support the efforts of these outstanding organizations who are doing everything they can to help animals being affected by the Caldor Fire,” said executive director of the foundation, Jerleen Bryant. “The
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Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care permanent resident Em, a bald eagle, gets used to a new enclosure after being evacuated along with dozens of other animals in rehab.
See WILDLIFE, page A9
Courtesy photo
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