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Containment expected on Tahoe Donner Fire; burn area estimated at 100 acres

Paul Raymore

Saturday, around 1:45 p.m. a wind driven forest fire originating near the vista point overlook on I-80 burned uphill toward the Tahoe Donner subdivision, encompassing 100 acres before 100 percent containment was expected by 6 p.m. Monday.

Fire crews from the California Department of Forestry, the US Forest Service and numerous local agencies, including the Truckee Fire District, have been on the scene working to keep the fire from reaching area homes.

A total of 250 fire personnel were working the fire Monday afternoon. It was 80 percent contained as of 7 a.m. Monday morning.



Firefighters at the scene cited the high level of cooperation between all of the agencies as a major reason they were able to quickly get the fire under control, before it could reach homes near Skislope Way.

The 100-acre fire, visible from I-80, burned up the steep slope containing an abundance of fuels until reaching the Tahoe Donner fuel break that had previously been put in around the subdivision. No evacuations of homes in Tahoe Donner were called for, though some residents were preparing to leave.



The fire caused damage to Sierra Pacific Power Company transmission lines in the area, creating a temporary power outage in Tahoe Donner on Saturday afternoon. Sierra Pacific rerouted power and no outages have since been reported.

Although fire is under investigation, fire officials told the Associated Press they believe it was human caused.


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