https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/02/weather/us-western-wildfires-thursday/index.html

By Aya Elamroussi, CNN

Updated 4:14 AM ET, Thu September 2, 2021

Fire closes in on Lake Tahoe resort city 02:08

(CNN)The winds fueling the massive Caldor Fire in California may subside in the coming days, bringing the possibility of lighter fire activity after the blaze drove thousands out of their homes this week.”The issues and conditions that weather was causing, especially for the last couple of days, are going to be mitigated by much lighter winds across the fire,” Incident Meteorologist Jim Dudley said in an update Wednesday.”We’re still going to have dry conditions, humidity is going to be low, but we’re not going to have the wind tomorrow (Thursday). And getting into Friday, the winds get even lighter … across the entire fire,” Dudley added.

Coming hours are make or break for Lake Tahoe resort city, fire officials sayThe glimmer of good news comes after firefighters made some progress in taming the Caldor Fire, which had ballooned to 207,931 acres as of Wednesday evening, with containment reaching 23%, according to Cal Fire.

The fire has been burning for nearly three weeks and is threatening the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe as it marches toward Nevada’s border.

The area surrounding the fire was under a red flag warning until Wednesday night. Such a warning is issued when an area could see hazardous fire weather that could increase activity.https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/weather/wildfire-and-air-quality-tracker/embed.html?z=8&lnglat=-120.137833,38.786&hed=Caldor%20fire%20continues%20to%20spread%20towards%20South%20Lake%20Tahoe&i=CA&l=s&initialWidth=680&childId=fire-tracker-embed&parentTitle=Caldor%20Fire%3A%20Lighter%20winds%20could%20bring%20relief%20to%20firefighters%20trying%20to%20protect%20South%20Lake%20Tahoe%20-%20CNN&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2021%2F09%2F02%2Fweather%2Fus-western-wildfires-thursday%2Findex.htmlEnter your email to sign up for CNN’s “Meanwhile in China” Newsletter.close dialog

Get the latest storm and extreme weather updates delivered straight to your inbox from CNN.Sign Me UpBy subscribing you agree to ourprivacy policy.South Lake Tahoe was spared Wednesday as the fire remained in the mountains, away from the main portion of the tourist city, “which is a very good thing,” Dave Lauchner, a spokesman for Cal Fire Team 6, told CNN.

“At this point, we’ve been able to keep it out of South Lake Tahoe,” Lauchner said. “We’re hoping to keep it up on the hill,” he added.Still, the fire remained significantly active Wednesday due to dry conditions and strong winds.”These strong winds increased fire behavior dramatically along the northern area of the fire,” Cal Fire said in an update.The flames forced the evacuation of thousands of people from South Lake Tahoe this week and pose a risk to more than 32,000 structures after destroying hundreds of homes, officials have said.

A Lake Tahoe resident played the violin as his family sat at standstill in Caldor Fire evacuation trafficThe city, normally bustling with vacationers, was a gray ghost town Tuesday, with empty parking lots, closed roads and shuttered businesses as the fire’s thick smoke hovered over the area.Overall, more than 59,000 people have been placed under evacuation orders in the state, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.In neighboring Nevada, evacuation warnings were also issued for Douglas County as the Caldor Fire inches toward the state’s border, according to Cal Fire.Gov. Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency Monday in anticipation of flames crossing state lines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also declared a state of emergency for the counties surrounding Lake Tahoe.Wednesday, the White House approved Newsom’s request for a presidential emergency declaration to receive direct federal aid for the Caldor Fire. The move will “supplement state, local and tribal government emergency services for the protection of lives, property, public health and safety,” Newsom’s office said in a news release

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Photos: Wildfires raging in the WestA cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon, on July 16.Hide Caption50 of 65

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