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Caldor Fire crews expect more activity as lightning, wind to continue Friday | Evacuations, road closures and updates

The Caldor Fire has burned 218,459 acres and is still 53% contained.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — According to Cal Fire, firefighters had to relocate from the Caldor Fire to fight multiple fires that were ignited by lightning last night throughout El Dorado County. 

Lightning from heavy storm cells passing through the northwestern part of El Dorado County started the largest on Kanaka Valley Road in Rescue. So far, the Kanaka Fire is 6.4 acres and 5% contained. 

A weather system affecting northwest California is expected to bring dry lightning and blustery winds. That unleashes the risk of new wildfires as thousands of firefighters are making headway against existing blazes. 

A warning for dangerous fire weather has taken effect in much of fire-scarred Northern California on Thursday afternoon and may last through Friday. The new threat comes as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says firefighters have been making significant progress against the fires.  

According to Cal Fire's Friday report, in the west zone of the fire, there was surprisingly minimal growth that occurred throughout the area. There was minimal lightning activity that was observed within the perimeter of the fire, however there were multiple lightning strikes seen on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for strong winds and thunderstorms, so firefighters will remain vigilant today and continue to reinforce containment lines. 

In the east zone of the fire, wind gusts were up to 40 mph on ridge tops and 10 mph in the Valleys overnight, so firefighters focused on holding and securing containment lines during that time. The thunderstorms brought some rain, but there were actually very few lightning strikes. Today, winds are expected to increase with gusts predicted of up to 60 mph on ridge tops and 40 mph in the valleys, which could result in more active fire behavior. 

In Friday morning's Caldor Fire Operational Briefing, Incident Commander Anna Lee Burley said she didn't sleep well last night.

"I was worried about the fate mother nature had in store for us over the last 12 hours," Burley said. "But I am very pleased to be standing in a wet-basecamp with you this morning. But let’s be real, we still have a red flag warning in place, we have new lightning starts all around us and we are already being pulled for resources from our incidents. The reality is, these raindrops will have little to no effect on our critically dry fuels both at this incident and in Northern California.” 

There has been an Evacuation Order Update for El Dorado County: All areas east of Sly Park Road from Park Creek to Mormon Emigrant Trail & the Park Creek Mormon Emigrant Trail Intersection. This includes the Sly Park Recreation Area. On Thursday, plans to repopulate Grizzly Flats was announced. The sheriff's office said there will be a staggered repopulation starting Sunday. The repopulation effort is expecting to be finished by the end of Monday.

All previous evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect.

Key Figures

  • Acres: 218,459
  • Containment: 53%
  • Homes destroyed: 782
  • Structures threatened: 24,647
  • Structures damaged: 81
  • 4,028 personnel
  • 10 first responder injuries
  • 2 civilian injuries

Evacuations and Road Closures

Click HERE for in-depth evacuation orders and warnings in El Dorado County. For evacuation orders and warnings in Amador County, click HERE for the Amador County Sheriff's Facebook page and HERE for their website. Click HERE for Alpine County evacuation zones. Click HERE for Douglas County evacuations. For current state highway/route information visit roads.dot.ca.gov.

Local assistance center

Located at Folsom Lake Community College's El Dorado Campus, 6699 Campus Drive, Placerville. The center is open from 

  • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
  • 1 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday
  • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday

Evacuation centers

El Dorado County Shelters

  • Rolling Hills Church, El Dorado Hills

Nevada state shelters

  • Reno Sparks Convention Center at 4590 S. Virginia Street, Reno

Animal Evacuation Centers:

  • El Dorado County Animal Services (small animals), Diamond Springs. For animal evacuation questions or assistance call (530) 621-5795
  • Saureel Vineyards (large animals), Placerville - FULL 
  • East to West Grooming 1368 Hwy 395, Unit B1, Gardnerville, NV
    - (Small Animals Only)
  • Washoe County Animal Services 2825 Longley Ln, Ste A Reno, NV
  • Douglas County Fairgrounds- (Livestock) 920 Dump Road, Gardnerville, NV
    775-782-9061
  • Douglas County Animal Services 921 Dump Rd. Gardnerville, NV
    - (Small Animals Only)

Accounts to follow

Evacuation Maps

A map of evacuations from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is available below.

An evacuation map from the Amador County Sheriff's Office can be viewed HERE.

map of evacuations in Alpine County is available HERE.

Online Structure Damage Map

An online structure damage map is available by clicking HERE or viewing below. To locate your home, type in the address in the top left corner. If you don't see an icon, the structure has not yet been identified.

Wildfire map

Click here for a map of the Caldor Fire.

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Wildfire Preps

If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.

WATCH: What you need to know to prepare, stay safe for wildfires

The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and know your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.

Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts. 

Read more: Are you wildfire ready? Here's what to do to prepare for fire season.

PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.

WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Caldor Fire 5 P.M. update: September 9th, 2021 | California Wildfires

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