Fire officials optimistic in fight against Lake Tahoe fire

Authorities say the huge California wildfire that has been threatening the Lake Tahoe resort region has calmed down significantly

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. -- The huge California wildfire near Lake Tahoe resort communities has calmed down significantly and was growing at the smallest rate in two weeks, but firefighters must stay engaged and take advantage of good weather while it lasts, commanders said Friday. The Caldor Fire remained only a few miles from the city of South Lake Tahoe, which was emptied of 22,000 residents days ago, along with casinos and shops across the state line in Nevada, but no significant fire activity occurred there on Thursday, officials said. “I’ll sum everything up on the incident with the words cautiously optimistic, and that’s as the result of a lot of hard work that you’ve put in now in over two weeks of being here,” Tim Ernst, an operations section chief, told firefighters. The nearly 333-square-mile (862-square-kilometer) fire was not making any significant advances and was not challenging containment lines in long sections of its perimeter, but Ernst said “the risk is still out there” with some areas that remained hot.