Over 2500 acres burned in Angora Tahoe blaze

"It was a human-caused fire"

Photo courtesy TheNins

By Caitilin McAdoo and Ananda Shorey

June 26, 2007

A wildfire that has been burning in South Lake Tahoe since Sunday afternoon has now burned 2,730 acres, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit fire information Officer Brigitte Boysen said this morning.

The fire, known as the Angora Fire, started around 2 p.m. Sunday and has damaged 225 structures, including 178 homes, Boysen said. The fire is currently 40 percent contained, but firefighters are pushing to have total containment by July 1, in anticipation of the holiday crowds that will be coming into the Tahoe area.

The fire is thought to have started in the mostly single-family subdivision of Tahoe Paradise, in the general vicinity of Mt. Rainier Street and North Upper Truckee Boulevard.

"It was a human-caused fire," said USDA Forest Service spokesman Rex Norman. There is no evidence that its origin is suspicious, he said.

A mandatory evacuation remains in place for the area and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has signed an emergency proclamation declaring a state of Emergency for El Dorado County.

According to the governor's office, the proclamation will provide state funding to cover the costs of fighting the fire and repairing damaged infrastructure.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the blaze.

Firefighters will be pushing to contain large parts of the fire today because weather reports indicate that high winds are expected in South Lake Tahoe late this afternoon, Boysen said.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

####