A wildfire above Cascade Lake on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe reported late yesterday afternoon continues to burn, and the size is now reported at between thirty and forty acres this afternoon. The fire is burning in the Snow Lake area of the Desolation Wilderness near Emerald Bay. This wildfire is not related to the King Fire currently burning on the West Slope of El Dorado and Placer Counties.
There is no threat to residences, infrastructure, or other structure at present.
The US Forest Service has closed Bayview, Eagle Falls, Tallac, Glen Alpine and Stanford Camp trailheads, as well as Bayview Campground, for public safety and to allow for suppression operations.
The California State Parks have closed Vinkingsholm in order to support firefighting efforts.
Forest Service, CalFire and other agency resources are responding. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but has been determined to be human-caused.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking that people traveling through the area refrain from pulling over to view the firefighting operations. Highway 89 is very narrow at that point and lacks sufficient shoulders, so pulling over creates a safety hazard and may hamper fire response.