Hazardous air quality prompts closure of Lake Tahoe state parks

Hazardous smoke levels have prompted officials to close Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park through Friday, depending on conditions.

“The fire has produced increasingly hazardous air quality for Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Basin,” according to a release issued at 1:35 p.m. Monday. “The air quality forecasts predict a continuation of these hazardous conditions through the upcoming week.”
Closed are Sand Harbor, Spooner Lake the Spooner backcountry,

Cave Rock and Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

Nevada State Parks will continue to monitor the fire and air quality conditions and re-open the parks when it is safe to do so. Visit parks.nv.gov for updates on park closures.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, air quality in the Gardnerville Ranchos was leveling off at unhealthy levels, with Minden showing very unhealthy levels.

As of 11 a.m. Monday, air quality in the Gardnerville Ranchos was unhealthy and deteriorating to hazardous levels.

Smoke from the Caldor Fire continued to drift into Carson Valley, just 25 miles from the easternmost edge of the fire.

Highway 50 remains closed as firefighters continue to battle the 106,562 acres and has claimed 557 structures in some of the densest forest on the Western Slope. Among those are 403 homes and six commercial properties.

The fire grew 14,202 acres on Sunday, twice the expansion rate of the 1,131-square-mile Dixie Fire burning in the Sierra 90 miles to the north.

Satellite fire mapping indicates the Caldor Fire is continuing to burn north and east. It is nine miles west of the Sierra Crest near Echo Summit.

It is only 5 percent contained.