SOUTH LAKE TAHOE ” The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct prescribed fire operations at two locations in the Lake Tahoe Basin beginning Thursday.

Fuels management crews will burn hand piles on 20 acres near Beverly Road on Kingsbury Grade and 20 acres in Rubicon Bay. Residents and travelers can expect to see smoke from these areas.

Smoke from hand piles ignited Wednesday in the vicinity of North Upper Truckee Road may continue for a few days.

Prescribed fire operations seek to reduce hazardous fuel loads on National Forest system lands and reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources.

For up-to-date information on prescribed fire activity, call the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit local fire information line at 543-2600 and press #6.

Maps of current prescribed fire project locations and other background information are available online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/fire/index.shtml