We are currently on vacation on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Today about aprox 12 noon we noticed a fire plume had started in the south shore area. By this evening around 6PM this fire had really blown up, being pushed by strong winds in the area. The lake had big waves with lots of whitecaps. This evening on the 11 PM local news, they reported that at this time 165 homes are reported destroyed, and the fire is approaching 1000 acres, with zero containment. This evening the temps are expected to get down to around freezing, and the winds have died down, which will help the firefighters. Local officials are saying that this is the worst fire the Tahoe Basin has ever seen. South Lake Tahoe has declared a state of emergency. The fire is west of South Lake Tahoe, between HWY 50 and Fallen Leaf Lake. The smoke is moving northeast with lots of smoke down in the Carson Valley. Fire Officials have no estimate on when they will contain this fire. I took photos of the fire this afternoon, as seen from the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. I may be able to get a few at Wizard's pictures if I have my download cord with me, if not, I'll post some when we get back home next week. Such a beautiful place up here at Tahoe, and especially green on the west shore. The lake water is pretty cool, probably in the low 60's. Very scenic shorelines in the northwest quadrant of the lake, with lots of big huge granite boulders, and little secluded sandy beaches. We had a nice hike and lunch at one of those beaches in that area. I'll post some pics when I get a chance :-)
