|
Vendaval -> Fires in California & Alaska (6/25/2007 6:52:01 AM)
|
"Hundreds of homes burned, threatened by Tahoe blaze"
POSTED: 9:28 a.m. EDT, June 25, 2007
" MEYERS, California (AP) -- A wind-driven wildfire destroyed at least 220 homes and other structures and scorched 750 acres just southwest of Lake Tahoe, a spokesman for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said Sunday.
Sheriff's Lt. Kevin House told CNN that in addition to the 220 homes burned, another 500 lie in the fire's path.
The fire is less than 5 percent contained, but no injuries or deaths have been reported. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
"This thing is raging out of control, and there's no estimate as to when that may change," House said.
The National Weather Service issued a dense smoke advisory from South Lake Tahoe to western Nevada on Monday morning. The weather service said it issues such advisories when smoke reduces visibility, making it difficult to see and breathe.
"Persons in the advisory area should avoid prolonged exposure to the smoke and stay indoors," said the advisory, which is in effect until 11 a.m. local time (2 p.m. ET).
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors has issued a declaration of emergency, House said.
Kit Bailey, the agency's fire chief for Lake Tahoe, said high winds hampered the battle against the fast-moving fire about five miles south of the lake. The Angora Lakes Resort and hundreds of homes in Meyers were evacuated, authorities said.
"I can't stay on the phone. We just got a notice to evacuate," Gloria Hildinger of the Angora Lakes Resort said. "The smoke is getting pretty thick. It's probably two miles away, and we're hoping it won't reach here."
Winds as high as 25 mph fanned the flames, and the National Weather Service called for gusts as high as 35 mph Sunday evening.
"They're definitely having problems with the winds up there," said Linda Curran of the Camino Interagency Dispatch Center. "The fire has a rapid rate of spread because of the winds."
At least five air tankers and two helicopters were assisting more than 400 firefighters on the ground.
The fire, believed to be caused by human activity, was reported Sunday afternoon on Forest Service land. Its huge smoke plume could be seen for miles.
State and federal fire officials had warned of a potentially active wildfire season in the Sierra Nevada following an unusually dry winter. The annual May 1 snow survey found the Tahoe-area snowpack at just 29 percent of normal levels, the lowest since 1988.
Earlier this month, a fire forced residents to flee the eastern Sierra community of Coleville, and there have been several other troublesome fires in the region since mid-May.
Meanwhile, in Alaska, crews worked to protect hundreds of homes tucked in the hills of the scenic Kenai Peninsula, where a fire has already destroyed dozens of homes and cabins.
It has burgeoned to 81 square miles since Tuesday, consuming 35 far-flung cabins in the Caribou Hills, state fire information officials said. Forty other structures, including sheds and outhouses, were also lost in the popular hunting and snowmobiling area about 80 miles south of Anchorage.
The fire threatens another 600 homes and cabins, Hall said. An evacuation order has been in effect since Friday, but fire officials said an unknown number of residents have refused to budge.
Bob Evenson, a fire volunteer, said the 16-by-16-foot winter cabin he built with his brothers nearly 30 years ago has probably been destroyed. He had removed everything but a cook stove and a wood stove because bears sometimes explore the unlocked plywood building when no one is around.
"We're over the point of worry, and there's nothing we can do about it right now," Evenson said. "The sad part about losing all the cabins is it's a good place to take the family." "
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/wildfires.ap/index.html
|
|
|
|
