Smoke builds in Minden just before noon on Wednesday.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
Estimates for containment of the Caldor Fire has been revised back to Sept. 13 as the blaze surpassed 204,390 acres, according to Wednesday morning’s update.
The number of firefighters working on the Caldor Fire grew to 4,224, as of Wednesday morning. That’s more than are working on the Dixie Fire burning 90 miles to the north, and the largest number of firefighters working on any fire in the contiguous United States, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center situation report issued Wednesday morning.
Air quality on Wednesday morning improved in Carson Valley with the sensor in the Gardnerville Ranchos indicating unhealthy air for sensitive groups and very unhealthy air in Minden.
Firefighters have a line around the western portion of the fire, which amounts to 20 percent, but the part burning toward Lake Tahoe remains uncontained.
Started Aug. 14, four miles south of Grizzly Flats, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Lake Tahoe portions of Douglas County were evacuated on Tuesday and residents of along Foothill Road were placed on alert that they might be next.
Alpine County expanded its evacuations to include Highway 88 at Forestdale Road and south to the Pacific Crest Trail.
Residents living north of Highway 89 from Woodfords to Luther Creek are also under an evacuation warning.
There have been no reports that the fire crossed into Douglas County, as of lunchtime Wednesday.
