Caldor Fire Now Stretches Over More Than 53,000 Acres

Update, Aug. 18. As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee reported that the Caldor Fire had grown to 53,772 acres, according to incident updates from Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado Unit. The blaze grew more than 30,000 acres overnight. Evacuation orders have been issued in various communities, including Pollock Pines, Cedar Grove and Kyburz, most of Camino, and eastern portions of Pleasant Valley and Somerset.

Update: As of Aug. 19 at 4 p.m., the Sacramento Bee posted a new report on the Caldor Fire, which has leveled homes in Grizzly Flats and destroyed an elementary school, a church and other structures.

Media outlets are reporting on the troubling growth in the Caldor Fire on Monday night. The Mountain Democrat, which covers Placerville and El Dorado County, reports that the Caldor Fire now stretches across 6,500 acres and the community of Grizzly Flats was evacuated due to what Cal Fire officials described as “extreme fire behavior.”

The Sacramento Bee has taken down its paywall on coverage of the Caldor Fire, reporting that a joint incident update from Cal Fire and the Forest Service on Tuesday morning stated that overnight fire activity led to structure loss, but conditions were too hazardous to determine the extent of the damage. “The fire continues to pose a high risk to multiple populated communities,” officials wrote. “The Fire is predicted to impact Sly Park Lake and interstate travel including important evacuation routes.”

Indeed, this morning Eldorado National Forest tweeted that the Eldorado Sheriff’s Department has issued evacuation orders for Sly Park (read more in this report from KCRA). And a warning in in place for Pollock Pines, located about 8 miles northwest of Grizzly Flats and home to several thousand residents.

Information links:

Caldor Fire Incident Information

El Dorado County on Facebook

CalFire on Twitter

Eldorado National Forest on Twitter

El Dorado County Office of Education information on school closures

Link to sign up for CodeRED alerts from El Dorado County

Information line: (530) 303-2455