SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KCRA/NBC) – Evacuation orders were issued Monday for all of South Lake Tahoe after expanded evacuations the night before as the massive Caldor Fire in El Dorado County experienced a “rapid spread,” CAL FIRE said.
The expanded evacuation orders for the city of about 22,000 come as a red flag warning went into effect Monday for the Northern Sierra and Southern Cascades.
Some residents making their way out were set up in parking lots with all their necessary belongings packed in bins inside their vehicles. Pets and Porta-Potties were part of the parking lot landscape.
Traffic was backed up Monday afternoon for miles along Highway 50 as drivers were making their way out of the South Lake Tahoe area, eastbound toward the Nevada state line to escape the encroaching Caldor Fire.
One evacuee said, “This morning, so we did get the evacuation warning last night and this morning as I was packing, neighbors were knocking on my door saying mandatory evacuation, unfortunately, some were panicking. And now we’re just waiting to get out. Kind of a mass exodus, kind of expected coming this late in the game. But what can you do?”
The Caldor Fire covers over 191,000 acres and is 16% contained.
For the latest evacuation information, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/
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