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The sun sets behind the mountains on the North Shore Thursday evening, a smoky haze serving as an increasingly familiar background this summer. With smoke continuing to threaten the Sierra and Lake Tahoe Basin, the U. S. Foprest Serivce is "cracking down" on potential wildfire threat.
Fires sparked by a lightning storm which rolled across Northern California nearly a month ago still have local wildland crews busy. One hand crew and two strike teams from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District are in California fighting the fires.
The Rifle Peak Hand Crew and a three-member strike team led by Capt. Carol Green are responding to the BTU lightning complex in Butte County, Calif. Both teams were deployed last week. The complex, composed of 41 fires, claimed 50 homes through Tuesday and burned a total of 54,000 acres after igniting from a series of June 21 lightning strikes. According to the California Office of Emergency Services, the fires are 75 percent contained.
A second NLTFPD strike team, led by Capt. Steve Alcorn, is responding to the SHU lightning complex in Shasta County, Calif. The fire is 55 percent contained, according to the California OES, and is comprised of 58 fires. Through Tuesday, the fires claimed three homes, threatened 1,200 residences and burned a total of 79,375 acres.
Also, firefighter Rick Maddellena is on a strike team responding to the Lime Complex, a set of 70 fires burning in southwest Trinity County, Calif. As of Tuesday, the fires were 59 percent contained, scorching 77,488 acres of wildland although no homes have burned.
Due to the severe fire activity in the Northern California and across the eastern Sierra Nevada, the U.S. Forest Service and local fire districts, including the NLTFPD, instituted no-burning restrictions which went into effect Saturday.
Chief Mike Brown of the NLTFPD said the district would follow the restrictions closely and work first to educate people in violation of the rules, which are in place until further notice.
“Usually we’re notified about an open burn through an emergency 911 call and we’ll respond with the appropriate equipment,” Brown said. “We’ll educate the people who are burning about the restrictions first before resorting to fines.”
Brown said NLTFPD firefighters responded to the report of a campfire Monday night on the East Shore. The fire was extinguished and the people who started it were issued a warning about the dangers of fires in the basin.
Asst. Fire Marshal Pete Mulvihill of the NLTFPD said in an interview last week vegetation in the basin is historically dry, leaving the chance for wildland fires very high.
The Rifle Peak Hand Crew and a three-member strike team led by Capt. Carol Green are responding to the BTU lightning complex in Butte County, Calif. Both teams were deployed last week. The complex, composed of 41 fires, claimed 50 homes through Tuesday and burned a total of 54,000 acres after igniting from a series of June 21 lightning strikes. According to the California Office of Emergency Services, the fires are 75 percent contained.
A second NLTFPD strike team, led by Capt. Steve Alcorn, is responding to the SHU lightning complex in Shasta County, Calif. The fire is 55 percent contained, according to the California OES, and is comprised of 58 fires. Through Tuesday, the fires claimed three homes, threatened 1,200 residences and burned a total of 79,375 acres.
Also, firefighter Rick Maddellena is on a strike team responding to the Lime Complex, a set of 70 fires burning in southwest Trinity County, Calif. As of Tuesday, the fires were 59 percent contained, scorching 77,488 acres of wildland although no homes have burned.
Due to the severe fire activity in the Northern California and across the eastern Sierra Nevada, the U.S. Forest Service and local fire districts, including the NLTFPD, instituted no-burning restrictions which went into effect Saturday.
Chief Mike Brown of the NLTFPD said the district would follow the restrictions closely and work first to educate people in violation of the rules, which are in place until further notice.
“Usually we’re notified about an open burn through an emergency 911 call and we’ll respond with the appropriate equipment,” Brown said. “We’ll educate the people who are burning about the restrictions first before resorting to fines.”
Brown said NLTFPD firefighters responded to the report of a campfire Monday night on the East Shore. The fire was extinguished and the people who started it were issued a warning about the dangers of fires in the basin.
Asst. Fire Marshal Pete Mulvihill of the NLTFPD said in an interview last week vegetation in the basin is historically dry, leaving the chance for wildland fires very high.
