Map: Caldor Fire perimeter and evacuation area
The spread of the Caldor Fire has slowed, and mandatory evacuations are being lifted on its western edge.
The Thursday morning report from the Eldorado National Forest fire managers put it at 210,259 acres (328 square miles), up 2,300 acres from the previous evening. Containment was 25%.
In contrast, the fire grew 12,000 acres in 12 hours on Sunday, the day before evacuations were ordered in South Lake Tahoe.
The most recent perimeter map shows a five-mile run beyond Highway 89 in the Meyers area, burning toward the Heavenly ski area.
The report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said 622 homes and 189 other buildings have been destroyed.
The 1,000-square-mile evacuation area encompasses much of El Dorado County — including all communities along its Lake Tahoe shore, from Tahoma to the Nevada state line — as well as parts of Alpine and Amador counties and Nevada’s Douglas County.
The evacuation order was reduced to a warning Wednesday in the Cedar Grove area, north of Highway 50 at the fire’s western edge.
The map above shows the mandatory evacuation area in orange. For latest updates, including warning zones, check the Facebook pages of Eldorado National Forest or the county sheriffs, or see the official El Dorado County map below.
All of Eldorado National Forest has been closed to the public through Sept. 30. Many other parks and recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe area are closed at least through Labor Day because of the fire.
The fire started on Aug. 14 near the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River about three miles south of Grizzly Flats. Its cause is under investigation.
More fire maps:
- Dixie Fire: New evacuations at Lake Davis, Frenchman Lake
- All California wildfires
- Buildings destroyed by the Caldor Fire