Soldiers deployed to help with fire operations With an extreme drought and several active wildfires burning during the middle of the state’s fire season, firefighters have had to pace themselves and outside resources have been called in. The agency said in a tweet Sunday that smoke from the wildfires has created poor air quality across the region, with some locations in the hazardous category.Ī red flag warning will be in place from Monday night until Tuesday as humidity values will run as low as 5-10%, according to CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy. Inciweb’s incident report on the Caldor Fire said the increase in spread was due largely to wind gusts between 25-35 mph and relative humidity between 10-15%.Ĭritical fire weather conditions are expected in the coming days, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento, with gusts of 20 to 35 mph possible in the afternoons and evenings. US Drought Monitor for card US Drought Monitor “The most important thing people can do now is get their go-bags ready and have a plan in place to evacuate should an evacuation order get extended,” city spokeswoman Lindsey Baker told CNN. The city of South Lake Tahoe earlier asked residents to be prepared for the possibility of evacuations. “The neighbors were all leaving … we just packed everything up best we could and off we go.” No one came to the house,” he told CNN affiliate KTVN. “I found out by a warning basically and that was it. Victor Babbitt, a resident of Meyers in El Dorado County, said he was lucky to be able to get out when he did despite not receiving a formal notice to leave. “Those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave now,” the alert warned. The warning, which signifies that there is “a potential threat to life and/or property” was expanded for additional parts of the basin, Cal Fire said in an alert Sunday. Forest Service, California's firefighting agency and the California Department of Justice, with help from the Sacramento County District Attorney's crime lab.Īssociated Press Writer Robert Jablon contributed from Los Angeles.An evacuation order had been issued for some parts of Alpine and El Dorado counties, along with evacuation warnings for other parts of the counties, Cal Fire said in a news release. The district attorney's office said the case was developed with the U.S. So I urge everyone to wait and hear what really happened before they form any opinions," Reichel added. that proves any of the prosecution's evidence yet. "There has been no evidence submitted into a court subject to my cross-examination. The pair have a scheduled court appearance on Friday, Reichel said. They're very law-abiding people," he said. "Neither one has ever been in trouble with the law in their life. The son made several 911 calls because the calls kept dropping in the rugged area, and both men also warned campers about the fire, Reichel said. The son called 911 to report seeing flames, Reichel said. He said Travis Smith is an electrician and was with his father near where the fire started. Reichel said he did not know details of the accusation, such as how authorities allege the fire was set. Reichel, the men's lawyer, said: "They are absolutely 100% innocent." It was one of two massive fires last summer that for the first time in modern history crossed the Sierra Nevada range.Įl Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson provided few details about the arrest of the Smiths, citing the investigation. The fire crossed through three northern counties, destroyed much of the small community of Grizzly Flats and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate the resort town of South Lake Tahoe before it was contained in October. ![]() The fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and other buildings while crossing a mostly remote forested area of seasonal cabins. The Caldor Fire scorched more than 346 square miles (897 square kilometers) from east of Sacramento to the Nevada border, threatening ski resorts and other prominent recreational areas. Mark Reichel, the attorney for both men, said they were arrested Wednesday afternoon and that reckless arson means starting a blaze by accident but "to such a degree that it was considered reckless."Īuthorities allege they caused homes to burn and people to be seriously injured in the fire that began in August. Firefighter Elroy Valadez sprays water over a spot fire from the Caldor Fire in this file photo from Sept.
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