Lake Tahoe Fires Stir Memories of 2017 and 2019

The first fire that started the Caldor fire in the Tahoe area began on August 14. Since it started it has burned more than 200,000 acres and 900 buildings. The fire first started in Little Mountain, south of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County. The fire started burning slowly but got worse on August 16 due to high winds. Over 50,000 residents were under evacuation. California firefighters cut down trees and tried their best to stop, or at least slow down, fires when they reached their line of defense. Firefighters held hope that weather and wind would calm down so that the fires would slow down and not spread. Crews continued to drop thousands of gallons of water and fire retardant to help save cabins and vacation homes. Residents said it felt as if all of California was burning.

Fatima Calvo, a Healdsburg High School student, shared her thoughts and her perspective on the fires. She stated, “This is something really sad and devastating because it brings back memories from when fires came to us.¨ She also commented that she knows how residents felt when Healdsburg got evacuated. Mrs. Anderson, a staff member at Healdsburg High School added her perspective on the fires. She mentioned that a really close family friend had a cabin up in Tahoe which they go to every year. The cabin was built in the 1920’s and has lots of memories there. The fire was so close that the firefighters had to go around the lake to put them out, and they got lucky and nothing happened to it.

As the fires continue to rage, firefighters battle to increase containment and save as many properties as they can. Even though this fire event is somewhat far away from Healdsburg, it still touches many residents here who have memories of similar events nearby. Additionally, locals who have friends and family living in the Tahoe area will continue to have concerns for the people in that area until the fires are fully extinguished.