Fires break out in South Tahoe

Two fires broke out Monday afternoon within an hour of each other on the opposite sides of Lake Tahoe's South Shore.

A small wildland fire was reported after 3:10 p.m. at Fallen Leaf Lake 1 mile southwest of South Lake Tahoe and grew at a moderate pace before firefighters knocked it down about 3:45 p.m. Initial reports had the fire burning an area at about 50 by 100 feet.

At about 4 p.m. a fire was reported near the same location as the July 3, 2002 Gondola fire at Edgewood Canyon in Stateline. The fire was reported to be spreading at a moderate rate, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Initial reports said the fire was about a half-acre in size. Dry conditions and winds have made for moderate fire conditions within the Lake Tahoe Basin. There are no fire restrictions at Lake Tahoe other than residential back yard burning restrictions. Campfire restrictions will go into effect sometime between now and July 4.

Aircraft originally dispatched to the Fallen Leaf fire have now been ordered to go to the Edgewood Canyon site, according to dispatchers. As of 4:33 p.m. the fire spread to about 1/2 acre.

A third fire was reported at about 4:47. Details on that fire remain unclear as of this posting. Log onto the Tahoe Daily Tribune Web site for regular updated information.