Fire destroys scores of homes near Lake Tahoe

MEYERS, Calif. – An estimated 165 homes were destroyed and 500 more were threatened after a wind-whipped fire broke out Sunday afternoon near South Lake Tahoe, Calif., authorities said. The fire reportedly scorched 750 acres of mountainous, heavily wooded terrain.

One official said a “couple thousand” people were evacuated in communities around the west side of South Lake Tahoe. They were sent to a recreation center and a middle school in the city.

The wind began to subside late Sunday, lifting the hopes of firefighters who were preparing to make a stand to stop the blaze from entering the city limits.

There were no details about what triggered the fire.

Leona Allen, communications supervisor of the dispatch center for South Lake Tahoe’s fire and police departments, said most of the area burned was west of California Highway 89 and north of U.S. Highway 50. Officials said the fire erupted about 2 p.m.

Allen’s home and her father’s were among those destroyed. “This year we knew something was going to hit,” she said, citing the parched terrain. “When you kick in the kind of wind we had today, the fire danger was huge.”

Still, Allen said she felt thankful to be safe. Her home for the past nine years was just “stuff.”

“We’re over it,” she said of the damage. “Our job right now is to help out the rest of the community and try to stop anyone else from losing their houses.”

Among the areas evacuated was the Angora Lakes Resort. “I can’t stay on the phone. We just got a notice to evacuate,” said resort worker Gloria Hildinger. “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.

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 smoke plume could be seen for miles.

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.