Heavy smoke filtered into the Truckee-Tahoe area Sunday evening, as seen here from the shores of Donner Lake in western Truckee.
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Firefighters are working to contain a growing fire in the Sierra Nevada that more than doubled in size overnight Monday and is prompting hundreds of evacuations.
The King Fire is burning land off of King of the Mountain Road near the south fork of the American River, just northeast of Pollock Pines, which is roughly an hour or so west of South Lake Tahoe.
It was first reported Saturday around 4:30 p.m. and has grown to 11,570 acres as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. It’s at 5 percent containment.
According to Calfire, 500 homes are threatened. Two people have been injured; in all, 1,555 firefighters are working the blaze as of 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Heavy smoke from the fire filtered into the Tahoe-Truckee region Sunday afternoon, and ash was falling in Incline Village, Truckee and other locations. Thick smoke came into the region again Monday afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service in Reno, more smoke is expected throughout the region Wednesday and into Thursday, as prevailing winds from the southwest could gust to up to 25 mph.
“The fire is currently traveling to the east/northeast, and northwest with a rapid rate of spread,” according to Calfire. “The fire is burning in steep terrain located in the South Fork American River Canyon and Silver Creek Canyon. Rollouts and spotting continue to be a problem in these areas. Both ground and air resources continue to be challenged by this steep terrain.”
The fire is under investigation. A shelter for residents displaced by the fire has been moved to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 3520 Carson Road in Camino.
According to Calfire, mandatory evacuations have been ordered for several locations, and voluntary evacuation advisories have been issued for many more homes.
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