Status: 09/01/2021 5:54 p.m.
Violent forest fires continue to rage in the United States. The state of California is particularly hard hit. More than 4,100 firefighters and volunteers tried to control a fire at Lake Tahoe.
Large-scale operation of the fire department on Lake Tahoe, California: More than 4,100 emergency services have fought against violent forest fires in the picturesque mountain area east of the capital Sacramento. According to the authorities, the so-called Caldor fire has spread to an area of more than 800 square kilometers.
Marcus Schuler, ARD studio Los Angeles, currently in San Francisco, on the forest fires in the US state of California
tagesschau24 5:00 p.m., September 1, 2021
On Tuesday evening (local time) the conflagration was 18 percent under control. The rescue teams made slight progress in containment compared to the previous day. Tens of thousands of people were asked to leave the southern edge of the huge mountain lake in the Sierra Nevada on Monday. The fire brigade had ordered the evacuation of the threatened areas as a precautionary measure.
There is also a fire in Nevada
In the neighboring state of Nevada, too, people had to evacuate their homes yesterday. The fire, which had been raging for more than two weeks, had eaten its way east into the holiday area at the weekend. The flames have been driven by violent winds for the past few days.
The region has been suffering from drought for months. From tomorrow on, the winds should weaken significantly. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” said meteorologist Jim Dudley.
Five people have been injured so far, including three firefighters. According to the Cal Fire agency, the flames destroyed 675 homes in the area.