Cal Fire spokesman Henry Herrera detailed the multitude of conditions that fan the flames of the Caldor Fire monster as it continues to burn in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and threaten the resort town of South Lake Tahoe, California.
“Everything is scheduled, perfect recipe for a major fire like this,” Herrera said during a Wednesday evening interview on CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith”.
“The topography is very steep and very rugged, the winds have been strong … we have had gusts of up to 35, 40 miles per hour at the top of the ridges. The winds align perfectly with the canyons, which is driving fire at a rapid rate of spread. “
Firefighters struggle to contain the flames as they charge toward the southern end of Lake Tahoe. Herrera, who has gone back and forth to the front line of the Caldor fire, explained other factors that contributed to the mass fire. They include embers that ignite dry vegetation miles in front of the fire which in turn creates new small “spot fires” that grow and connect to the main fire.
The Caldor fire burned more than 200,000 acres, which is larger than the entire city of Memphis. It has also forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Herrera told host Shepard Smith that firefighters are working to save homes and communities and are currently focusing on the northeast end of the fire, around Meyers and South Lake Tahoe.
“We have been building containment lines to prevent fire from entering these areas,” Herrera said. “We are building contingency lines, zones in case the fire crosses these containment lines, and so far we have been successful in keeping the fire away from the communities.”