'It’s like trying to inhale sandpaper': evacuees describe escape from approaching inferno
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Sep 9, 2021 4:23 AM EDT
Many families have been forced to flee their homes due to growing fires and thick smoke that blankets areas far beyond the fires themselves.
For residents of South Lake Tahoe, California, smoke and ash from the Caldor Fire hung over the town like the sword of Damocles.
"When I got here 35 years ago, I knew something like this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time," South Lake Tahoe resident John Larson told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "You take a walk out up Taylor Creek and there's so much fuel, it's scary."
With every ambulance, with every siren, Larson said he couldn't help but think about if another tourist had accidentally started a fire, like the 2007 Angora Fire that spread rapidly throughout the area.
Still, there was some solace that during his 35 years of living in South Lake Tahoe and seeing some of the area's worst blazes, he had never been under a mandatory evacuation order. Not even for the Angora Fire.
But with a knock on his door, the sword fell.
John Larson told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell that since moving to the Tahoe area 35 years ago, he figured it was "just a matter of time" before a fire like the Caldor Fire threatened the area. (Bill Wadell)
(Bill Wadell)
Lake Tahoe's waters lapped against the city's vacant beaches on Labor Day -- a rare sight for the holiday weekend. A week prior, authorities had issued a mandatory evacuation order for South Lake Tahoe as the Caldor Fire approached. Rather than sitting out on the beach for the holiday, many residents like John Larson instead found themselves at shelters set up for evacuees.
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One of the 7,000 fires that have scorched across the state of California this year, the Caldor Fire has burned over 217,000 acres and has destroyed at least 994 buildings, according to CalFire. The blaze is 50% contained as of Wednesday.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, file photo, an empty beach is seen after a mandatory evacuation was ordered due to the Caldor Fire in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. State fire officials say evacuation orders for the area were reduced to warnings as of 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5. Some 22,000 people had been forced to flee the popular resort and nearby areas last week as the Caldor Fire roared toward it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Chris Lapore had been ready. While the weather in the Sierra Nevada was always changing and hardly reliable, his area had been under a warning for a couple of weeks. He had already packed a bag.
"I knew it was coming," Lapore told Wadell. When the order was issued, Lapore said one of his friends took a picture of the sun as they left and it had looked "like a picture of hell."
If the warnings in place hadn't been enough of a tip-off, the declining air quality had certainly been a harbinger of the worst yet to come.
Chris Lapore tells AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell that breathing the smoky air was inhaling sandpaper. (Bill Wadell)
(Bill Wadell)
It had been raining fine ash for about a week ahead of the mandatory evacuation, Lapore recounted. He had spent most of the time locked in his apartment to avoid breathing in the thick air.
“It’s like trying to inhale sandpaper,” Lapore said. “It’s not a pleasant experience because there’s fine, particulate ash in it and it grates. It feels horrible on your throat."
While the mandatory evacuation order issued the week prior for portions of South Lake Tahoe had been downgraded to evacuation warnings just before Labor Day, many felt unsafe returning to their home either because of the continued threat of the blaze or because of the health threat that the poor air quality posed.
“Air quality is always an issue out here. You know there are so many toxins, the particles are so small. It’s why the N-95 mask is right to wear for that. And it’s hard to wear. It’s hot outside and they’re a challenge, but they’re life-saving in so many ways.” American Red Cross Public Affairs volunteer Dan Halyburton told Wadell at the Reno Convention Center, which was currently housing evacuees like Larson and Lapore.
American Red Cross spokesperson Dan Halyburton tells AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell about how busy the summer was for the American Red Cross with fires and hurricanes. (Bill Wadell)
(Bill Wadell)
Early on during the evacuations, the Red Cross saw over 800 people from the Caldor Fire, Halyburton told Wadell. The blaze was another disaster in a busy fire season.
"This is an unprecedented year," Halyburton said. "We might be with a lot of years like this ahead, I'm afraid."
Reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
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News / Weather News
'It’s like trying to inhale sandpaper': evacuees describe escape from approaching inferno
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Sep 9, 2021 4:23 AM EDT
Many families have been forced to flee their homes due to growing fires and thick smoke that blankets areas far beyond the fires themselves.
For residents of South Lake Tahoe, California, smoke and ash from the Caldor Fire hung over the town like the sword of Damocles.
"When I got here 35 years ago, I knew something like this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time," South Lake Tahoe resident John Larson told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "You take a walk out up Taylor Creek and there's so much fuel, it's scary."
With every ambulance, with every siren, Larson said he couldn't help but think about if another tourist had accidentally started a fire, like the 2007 Angora Fire that spread rapidly throughout the area.
Still, there was some solace that during his 35 years of living in South Lake Tahoe and seeing some of the area's worst blazes, he had never been under a mandatory evacuation order. Not even for the Angora Fire.
But with a knock on his door, the sword fell.
John Larson told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell that since moving to the Tahoe area 35 years ago, he figured it was "just a matter of time" before a fire like the Caldor Fire threatened the area. (Bill Wadell)
Lake Tahoe's waters lapped against the city's vacant beaches on Labor Day -- a rare sight for the holiday weekend. A week prior, authorities had issued a mandatory evacuation order for South Lake Tahoe as the Caldor Fire approached. Rather than sitting out on the beach for the holiday, many residents like John Larson instead found themselves at shelters set up for evacuees.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
One of the 7,000 fires that have scorched across the state of California this year, the Caldor Fire has burned over 217,000 acres and has destroyed at least 994 buildings, according to CalFire. The blaze is 50% contained as of Wednesday.
FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, file photo, an empty beach is seen after a mandatory evacuation was ordered due to the Caldor Fire in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. State fire officials say evacuation orders for the area were reduced to warnings as of 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5. Some 22,000 people had been forced to flee the popular resort and nearby areas last week as the Caldor Fire roared toward it. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Chris Lapore had been ready. While the weather in the Sierra Nevada was always changing and hardly reliable, his area had been under a warning for a couple of weeks. He had already packed a bag.
"I knew it was coming," Lapore told Wadell. When the order was issued, Lapore said one of his friends took a picture of the sun as they left and it had looked "like a picture of hell."
If the warnings in place hadn't been enough of a tip-off, the declining air quality had certainly been a harbinger of the worst yet to come.
Chris Lapore tells AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell that breathing the smoky air was inhaling sandpaper. (Bill Wadell)
It had been raining fine ash for about a week ahead of the mandatory evacuation, Lapore recounted. He had spent most of the time locked in his apartment to avoid breathing in the thick air.
“It’s like trying to inhale sandpaper,” Lapore said. “It’s not a pleasant experience because there’s fine, particulate ash in it and it grates. It feels horrible on your throat."
While the mandatory evacuation order issued the week prior for portions of South Lake Tahoe had been downgraded to evacuation warnings just before Labor Day, many felt unsafe returning to their home either because of the continued threat of the blaze or because of the health threat that the poor air quality posed.
“Air quality is always an issue out here. You know there are so many toxins, the particles are so small. It’s why the N-95 mask is right to wear for that. And it’s hard to wear. It’s hot outside and they’re a challenge, but they’re life-saving in so many ways.” American Red Cross Public Affairs volunteer Dan Halyburton told Wadell at the Reno Convention Center, which was currently housing evacuees like Larson and Lapore.
American Red Cross spokesperson Dan Halyburton tells AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell about how busy the summer was for the American Red Cross with fires and hurricanes. (Bill Wadell)
Early on during the evacuations, the Red Cross saw over 800 people from the Caldor Fire, Halyburton told Wadell. The blaze was another disaster in a busy fire season.
"This is an unprecedented year," Halyburton said. "We might be with a lot of years like this ahead, I'm afraid."
Related:
Reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
Report a Typo