Angora Fire

The Angora Fire was a wind driven fire that started near North Upper Truckee Road subdivision near Angora Lakes, Fallen Leaf Lake, Echo Lake and South Lake Tahoe, California around 2:15 PM on Sunday, June 24, 2007 as a result of an illegal campfire. As of July 2, 2007, the fire was 100% contained, and 100% control (all interior fires extinguished) was achieved on July 10. The fire burned 3,100 acres (12.5 km²), destroyed 242 residences and 67 commercial structures, and damaged 35 other homes. At the peak, there were as many as 2,180 firefighters involved in battling the blaze. As of July 2, there were still 260 personnel fighting the remaining fires in the interior of the containment line. The fire cost $11.7 million to fight.

Overview

The fire began at approximately 2:15 PM on June 24, 2007 near Seneca Pond, a small lake near Lake Tahoe and the town of Meyers. During that time, the region was experiencing extremely strong winds and low relative humidity, which fanned the fire and created an extremely rapid moving crown fire. Many neighborhoods were evacuated immediately, giving only very short warning to residents, sometimes as short as 5 minutes. In addition to the strong winds, the fire was also fuelled by unusually dry conditions in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.). A study concluded that snow pack was 29% of average in 2007. After an hour of burning, soot began to fall from the sky around the Tahoe Keys area. People flocked to head towards the source, but the firefighters blockaded the road near the high school. A day after the fire started, the state of California declared it a state of emergency, opening up state funds. Full containment of the fire was announced on July 2, 2007, two days before the 4th of July holiday.