Wildfire threatens homes at Lake Tahoe

A fast-moving wildfire in California is approaching the popular resort destination Lake Tahoe, with more than 53,000 people told to evacuate the region and over 33,000 structures threatened.

Firefighters were struggling on Tuesday to prevent the Caldor fire from entering the resort city. Caldor fire spokesman Jason Hunter said their significant concern was "spotting", whereby a fire producing sparks or embers that are carried by the wind start new fires beyond the fire zone.

The Caldor fire — named after an old logging town close to the origin of the fire — prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency on Monday for counties surrounding the Lake Tahoe region. Newsom had proclaimed a state of emergency for El Dorado County, where Lake Tahoe is, earlier this month.

The evacuation order covers residents in El Dorado County, which includes South Lake Tahoe, according to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

The entire city of South Lake Tahoe and the southern portion of the lake were put under mandatory evacuation. The city's approximately 20,000 residents were evacuated Monday, and no time frame is available for their return, according to the city's mayor.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency on Monday in anticipation of flames crossing state lines from the Lake Tahoe region, which sits on the California-Nevada border.

The declaration "ensures resources from the local, state, and federal levels are available to assist as needed during this emergency", said the governor's office in a statement.

The Caldor fire has consumed 191,607 acres since it began on Aug 14, but only 16 percent has been contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). It has destroyed 664 structures and caused five injuries.

The department estimates full containment by Sept 13. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fueled by strong winds, the Caldor fire's red flag warning will remain in effect through 11 pm on Wednesday, according to Cal Fire's latest status report.

Drought and climate change contribute to the resistance to control the fire, said Chris Anthony, an assistant deputy director of Cal Fire.

All national forests in California are temporarily closed as a precaution to reduce the likelihood that visitors could become trapped during emergency fire circumstances, said the US Forest Service. The order goes into effect Tuesday night and will last through at least Sept 17.

The Caldor fire and the nearby Dixie fire have burned from one side of the Sierra, a major mountain range in the western US, to the other for the first time.

More than 15,000 personnel are battling the flames. Approximately 200 US Army soldiers will be trained next week to assist the firefighters.