“I was honestly convinced this place was gonna go down,” said Lake Tahoe Community College student Dakota Jones on Monday upon his return. The city appeared slightly rebounded on Monday, yet mostly empty compared with normal holiday weekends. The fire has consumed more than 216,000 acres, and transformed South Lake Tahoe into a ghost town when the impending flames forced residents to flee. “And if it comes sooner, we are already in the planning process for the whole area that’s still under evacuation order.” We want to make sure we’re planning and having stuff ready and completed,” said Cal Fire official John Davis. “We’re also looking long term, what’s going to happen, four, five or six days down the road. Some sections of the fire perimeter remained a concern but on much of the rest of the fire the work turned to mopping up, pulling miles of fire hose out of the forest and felling dangerously weakened trees.įirefighters are still working to contain south-east sections of the Caldor fire in the Lake Tahoe area. The blaze remains only 49% contained and still threatens areas south of the town.įirefighters are confronting aggressive winds and flames in some south-east sections of the Caldor fire, which could still reach Meyers, a community more than a mile high known as the gateway to Lake Tahoe, and other areas including the Kirkwood ski resort. While the decision to lift the evacuation order is a hopeful sign, more than 5,000 personnel are still working to protect the surrounding resort communities and the homes of employees who staff casinos, restaurants and ski resorts. The Caldor fire grew by just a few hundred acres over the past 24 hours and containment lines were holding well, officials said at a Monday morning briefing. Forest Service, California's firefighting agency and the California Department of Justice, with help from the Sacramento County District Attorney's crime lab.Īssociated Press Writer Robert Jablon contributed from Los Angeles.Residents faced an unprecedented evacuation order last week when the blaze came terrifyingly close to the popular resort city. The district attorney's office said the case was developed with the U.S. So I urge everyone to wait and hear what really happened before they form any opinions,' Reichel added. that proves any of the prosecution's evidence yet. 'There has been no evidence submitted into a court subject to my cross-examination. The pair have a scheduled court appearance on Friday, Reichel said. They're very law-abiding people,' he said. 'Neither one has ever been in trouble with the law in their life. The son made several 911 calls because the calls kept dropping in the rugged area, and both men also warned campers about the fire, Reichel said. The son called 911 to report seeing flames, Reichel said. He said Travis Smith is an electrician and was with his father near where the fire started. Reichel said he did not know details of the accusation, such as how authorities allege the fire was set. Reichel, the men's lawyer, said: 'They are absolutely 100% innocent.'

It was one of two massive fires last summer that for the first time in modern history crossed the Sierra Nevada range.Įl Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson provided few details about the arrest of the Smiths, citing the investigation.

The fire crossed through three northern counties, destroyed much of the small community of Grizzly Flats and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the resort town of South Lake Tahoe before it was contained in October. The fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and other buildings while crossing a mostly remote forested area of seasonal cabins. The Caldor Fire scorched more than 346 square miles (897 square kilometers) from east of Sacramento to the Nevada border, threatening ski resorts and other prominent recreational areas. Mark Reichel, the attorney for both men, said they were arrested Wednesday afternoon and that reckless arson means starting a blaze by accident but 'to such a degree that it was considered reckless.'Īuthorities allege they caused homes to burn and people to be seriously injured in the fire that began in August. Firefighter Elroy Valadez sprays water over a spot fire from the Caldor Fire in this file photo from Sept.

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