The
Angora Fire
Angora Fire was a 2007 wind driven wildfire in El Dorado County,
California. It 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.[1] As of July 2, 2007, the fire was 100%
contained, and 100% control (all interior fires extinguished) was
achieved on July 10.[2] The fire burned 3,100 acres (12.5 km2),
destroyed 242 residences and 67 commercial structures, and damaged 35
other homes.[3] At the peak, there were as many as 2,180 firefighters
involved in battling the blaze.[4] As of July 2, there were still 260
personnel fighting the remaining fires in the interior of the
containment line.[2] The fire cost $11.7 million to fight.[2]
Contents
1 Overview
2 Investigation
3 911 dispatcher controversy
4 Effects
5 Aftermath
6 References
7 External links
Overview[edit]
The fire began at approximately 2:15 PM on June 24, 2007 near
Seneca Pond, a small lake near
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe and the town of Meyers.[5]
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.[citation needed] 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.[6] 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.[citation
needed] 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.
Investigation[edit]
An investigation into the cause of the fire determined its point of
origin. The fire was believed to be human caused, as no thunderstorms
were occurring or in the vicinity when the fire began. On June 29,
fire department personnel announced that the cause was an illegal
campfire (or possibly a discarded cigarette into a campfire pit), and
further investigation is pending.[4]
911 dispatcher controversy[edit]
On July 3 the California Highway Patrol announced investigations into
whether 911 dispatchers failed to notify authorities about numerous
calls that began coming into them about the Angora Fire. A number of
calls that were received about the fire were disregarded by
dispatchers who claimed that the fire was a controlled burn.
911 calls from cell phones are received by the CHP. Residents in the
area as well as golfers on a nearby course made calls that were later
found to have not been reported. Investigations were pending as of
Friday July 13.[7]
Effects[edit]
One of the destroyed homes, on Angora Creek Drive
As of June 28, over $141 million in damage had occurred. 254
homes destroyed, 26 homes damaged and 3,000 evacuations were prompted,
making it among the top half-dozen most costly fires in the U.S.[8][9]
As of June 28 the cost to fight the fire has been estimated at
$10 million, with $5.5 million spend so far.[8] FEMA will
pay 75%.[citation needed] Losses to the tourist-driven economy are
estimated/forecast to be around $1 billion.[citation needed]
Aftermath[edit]
View of
Angora Fire
Angora Fire area from Flagpole Peak. Flagpole Peak is a
mountain next to Echo Lake.
Because the fire occurred in the watershed of Lake Tahoe, one of the
primary concerns once the fire was out was the potential impact of the
ash and debris on the
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe hydrological system. Of major concern
was the potentially hazardous debris from the 256 structures that were
burned in the fire. To address this, the Governor issued Executive
Order S-09-07 which initiated a major debris removal project to remove
the structural debris as quickly and safely as possible from the 250+
private properties affected by the fire. The debris removal was
operationally conducted by the California Integrated Waste Management
Board on behalf of El Dorado County. Debris removal activities
commenced on July 12, 2007 and was completed by the end of August.
Work continues on erosion control measures and removal of potentially
hazardous trees. No significant long-term ecological damage is
believed to have occurred.
References[edit]
^ "South
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe fire fully contained". SFGate. Retrieved 21 June
2015.
^ a b c Inciweb for Angora Fire
^ "
Angora Fire
Angora Fire General Information". ca.gov. Retrieved 21 June
2015.
^ a b KTVN News Angore Fire Update page
^ "Search continues for missing British girl and boyfriend". Tahoe
Daily Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
^ "Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on Survey of Sierra Nevada
Snow Pack at 29% of Normal". Press Release. Office of the Governor.
Retrieved 21 August 2007.
^ "CHP probes response to 911 fire calls. Local teens living in the
neighborhood saw fire-suited government personnel leaving the area
right before the fire. These teens blamed official fire personnel for
the fire (e.g., controlled burn that went out of control) while
investigators tried to blame the children. A jury trial on the issue
resulted inconclusively." San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 13 July
2007.
^ a b sfgate.com Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. San
Francisco Chronicle 6-27-07 article
^ sfgate.com 6-28-07 article
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Angora Fire.
Inciweb for Angora Fire
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection for Angora
Fire
Firefighter Blog Coverage
Ongoing coverage and photo gallery Sacramento Bee
Photo gallery of fire KOLOTV.com, Reno, Nevada
Google Earth Tour of fire damage showing destroyed homes
California Integrated Waste Management Board - Angora Fire
Map of
Angora Fire
Angora Fire and origin at Seneca Pond - SFGate.com, June 28,
2007
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