Wildfires rip through south lake tahoe
A wind-whipped forest fire in the popular resort area of Lake Tahoe destroyed 50 homes Sunday and threatened 500 others, a U.S. Forest Service official said. No injuries were reported. Kit Bailey, the agency's fire chief for Lake Tahoe, said high winds hampered the battle against the fast-moving, 500-acre blaze about five miles south of the lake. The Angora Lakes Resort and hundreds of homes in Meyers were evacuated, authorities said. "I can't stay on the phone. We just got a notice to evacuate," Gloria Hildinger of the Angora Lakes Resort said. "The smoke is getting pretty thick. It's probably two miles away, and we're hoping it won't reach here." Winds as high as 25 mph fanned the flames, and the National Weather Service called for gusts as high as 35 mph Sunday evening. "They're definitely having problems with the winds up there," said Linda Curran of the Camino Interagency Dispatch Center. "The fire has a rapid rate of spread because of the winds." At least five air tankers and two helicopters were assisting more than 400 firefighters on the ground. The fire, believed to be caused by human activity, was reported Sunday afternoon on Forest Service land. Its huge smoke plume could be seen for miles. Meanwhile, in Alaska, crews worked to protect hundreds of homes tucked in the hills of the scenic Kenai Peninsula, where a fire has already destroyed dozens of homes and cabins. It has burgeoned to 81 square miles since Tuesday, consuming 35 far-flung cabins in the Caribou Hills, state fire information officials said. Forty other structures, including sheds and outhouses, were also lost in the popular hunting and snowmobiling area about 80 miles south of Anchorage. The fire threatens another 600 homes and cabins, Hall said. An evacuation order has been in effect since Friday, but fire officials said an unknown number of residents have refused to budge. Bob Evenson, a fire volunteer, said the 16-by-16-foot winter cabin he built with his brothers nearly 30 years ago has probably been destroyed. He had removed everything but a cook stove and a wood stove because bears sometimes explore the unlocked plywood building when no one is around. "We're over the point of worry, and there's nothing we can do about it right now," Evenson said. "The sad part about losing all the cabins is it's a good place to take the family."
