When the Caldor fire ignited over two weeks ago on August 14, Timothy Pritchard was not concerned. It was well over 35 miles away and on the other side of the mountains. By August 29th, Pritchard said he could not sleep due to the thick smoke and haunting orange glow in the night sky. The fire was knocking on the door of South Lake Tahoe, a community of about 22,000 people, many of them working class.
“I felt nervous, I didn’t think it was going to come down to that,” said Pritchard as he sat on his cot, resting his knee, which was in a brace and recovering from recent knee surgery. He was in the corner of a massive room at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center, which has become an American Red Cross evacuation center for folks fleeing the flames. “And then I started panicking to get everything together.”
The Caldor fire has burned over 200,000 acres and is only 18% contained and is now forcing evacuations in Douglas County. The fire is only the second fire to successively burn across the mountain divide in California’s history. The first was the Dixie fire, which is still burning less than 100 miles to the north.
“We left at two o’clock in the afternoon and I didn’t get the bus until almost six,” Pritchard said. After arriving at an evacuation center in Carson City and learning it was full, the bus brought everyone up to the convention center. “By the time we got here it was like nine-thirty, ten o’clock, so it was a long day. “
Pritchard has lived in South Lake Tahoe for about 13 years and says it was like a dream. He never thought a fire would get this close. “It jumped so quick because of the winds,” he said. This fire has spread so rapidly fueled by hot and dry conditions as the west is deep in drought.
“They are saying we might be here eight days ‘cause it’s still burning pretty good,” Pritchard said. He remarked on the ghost town feel of South Lake Tahoe. At times he could not see across the street because the smoke was so thick. “When you go out you have to have a mask and put your hoodie on because the ashes are falling on you,” he recalled.
The massive room is set up with over 400 socially distanced cots and as of August 31, there were about a dozen evacuees staying there. The American Red Cross evacuation center is off of South Virginia Street, across from the Dutch Brothers coffee shop in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.
“From what I understand we have room for 400 to 500 people,” said Steve Walsh, the Regional Communications and Marketing Director for the American Red Cross. He had arrived earlier in the morning on Tuesday after driving up from Sacramento. “We are definitely ready to receive more.”
The American Red Cross has set up hundreds of cots for people. They have food ready to go, bottles of water, and charging stations established inside. There are about a dozen volunteers helping to run the operations of the shelter. There is plenty of space and each cot is about six feet from the nearest one and all COVID-19 precautions are in place, including testing.
“We are in the middle of an incredibly heavy fire season,” said Walsh. “If you live in an area where you think it could be evacuated or is prone to fires, think ahead.” He urged people to remain vigilant and plan ahead. He also said the Red Cross is fully supplied for these types of situations.
“If you want to support Red Cross evacuation services, donate to us financially,” said Walsh. He said this is the most impactful way to help in an evacuation like South Lake Tahoe. It focuses the resources directly on what they have identified is needed the most. Walsh expects more people to arrive and fill up the evacuation center and said the doors are open to anyone needing a place to stay. After that they help each individual evacuee in taking the next steps towards safe shelter, either after or before they can return home.
“Every summer is ‘the worst on record’...and every next summer, that is surpassed,” said Walsh. As the drought worsens across the west, areas of forest are drying out sooner and this leads to more fuels and hotter fires.
Canfield left behind a household of plants and is now stranded in Reno without a car or many possessions.
“It was horrible, I had to pack up my meds and a little bit of clothing that I needed and come here,” said Brandon Canfield. He was sitting on his cot with few possessions.
He was surprised at the evacuation and remembers the Angora fire, which burned only 3,100 acres in 2007, but destroyed over 200 homes. Canfield remembers seeing flames during that fire and not being evacuated.
“I think they are overreacting and they don’t need to evacuate everybody,” he said with frustration. Canfield misses his home. He is stranded in Reno, without a car, and not sure what to do. “It’s horrible for people who are evacuating.”
He tried booking a room at the Atlantis Resort but could not afford the $200 a night price tag. He struggles to sleep in such a large room and is concerned about what it will be like when it fills up with evacuees. “[I am] stuck in Reno with a little bit of money and nothing to do,” Canfield said. “Being homeless in Reno basically.”