Tamarack Fireplace Explodes to 21,000 Acres; Zero Containment – CBS San Francisco
MARKLEEVILLE (CBS SF / AP) – A once smoldering wildfire came to life, growing to 21,000 acres on Saturday, sending a wall of windswept flames towards the evacuated Sierra community of Markleeville.
The Tamarack fire began on July 4th due to lightning strikes, according to the US Forest Service. The agency said it monitored the fire daily before it exploded on Friday.
The rapidly growing forest fire forced the cancellation of the “Death Ride”, an extreme bike tour through the Sierra Nevada.
Evacuations have been conducted for Markleeville, Grover’s Hot Springs Park and Campground, Shay Creek, Markleeville Village, and East Fork Resort. On Saturday afternoon, the rapid advance of the fire forced additional evacuations or the Alpine Village and Woodfords areas.
120 men fought the fire until Saturday evening.
#TamarackFire crossed Hwy 89 east, crossing the N of the city and the S of Airport Road. Tremendous energy in this fire section, the intersection section goes far N beyond the airport road. pic.twitter.com/avosRHeAmv
– craig philpott (@CphilpottCraig) July 17, 2021
Fueled by extremely dry conditions, the fire – which burns in mountainous terrain – grew from around 500 hectares to 1,600 hectares on Friday at 8 p.m. and to 6,600 hectares at daybreak on Saturday. By early Saturday evening, the wildfire had spread to 21,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
A notice posted on the 103-mile Death Ride website requested all riders to evacuate the area. The fire left thousands of cyclists and onlookers stranded in the small town and ran to get out.
Kelli Pennington and her family camped near town on Friday so her husband could join his ninth ride when they were told to leave. They had observed the smoke development during the day, but were surprised by the rapid spread of the fire.
“It went so quickly,” said Pennington. “We left our tents, hammocks and some groceries, but we got most of our things, pushed our two children into the car and left.”
The massive pyrocumulus cloud, kicked up by the intensity and heat of the fire, was visible to Lake Tahoe residents and visitors when they woke up on Saturday morning.
Tamarack Fire burns uncontrollably near Markleeville
The highways 88, 89 and 4 were closed in the fire area. At 7:45 a.m. the flame was 6 miles south of Markleeville and was advancing rapidly. At least three buildings burned out.
On Saturday afternoon, the flames spread rapidly and crossed Highway 89 north of Markleeville and south of Airport Road.
“The Tamarack fire is moving quickly and aggressively,” wrote the Alpine County’s sheriff’s department on Facebook on Saturday, urging residents to evacuate.
#TamarackFire crossed Hwy 89 east and crossed the N of town with rapid ROS and power in that section of the fire. pic.twitter.com/x2gQcxpUxn
– craig philpott (@CphilpottCraig) July 17, 2021
The fire also forced the cancellation of the “Death Ride” on Saturday, a 103-mile bike tour in the so-called Californian Alps over three mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada.
The #TamarackFire, 10 km. S. of Markleeville, actively burned all night, and is currently charted over 6,600 acres. Crews, equipment and a Type 2 Incident Management team have been ordered and will arrive today. Highway. 88/89/4 are closed in the fire area. pic.twitter.com/7eH0uAHfxX
– Humboldt Toiyabe NF (@HumboldtToiyabe) July 17, 2021
The overnight video showed flames covering the mountainside and destroying at least one house.
© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report
