Fire burning above Jacks Valley Road

Homes in Jacks Valley were threatened by a 150-acre wildland fire on Wednesday that prompted firefighters to seek voluntary evacuations.

Homes in the Clear Creek and Alpine View subdivisions were threatened by the fire, which was ignited by a lightning strike at about 6:50 p.m.

Fire engines spent the night in Jacks Valley and Alpine View neighborhoods to defend homes.

Three hand crews were aided by two air tankers and three helicopters in their fight to slow the growth of the fire until nightfall grounded the aircraft.

Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies and Search & Rescue personnel helped notify residents north of Jacks Valley of the fire, and to encourage them to evacuate.

“At this time we are asking the public to stay out of the area, and residents in the area to be prepared to evacuate,” Douglas County Sheriff’s Sgt. Pat Brooks said Wednesday night.

Nonresidential traffic was turned around on Jacks Valley Road south of Alpine View and near Valley Vista.

The fire is burning in sagebrush, according to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch.

“The eastern flank of the fire is slowing down,” according to Public Information Officer Elizabeth Kenna at 10:30 p.m. “The western flank is still active.”

Residents contacted emergency personnel to help evacuate relatives with infirmities.

The Tallac Hotshots are one of the hand crews fighting the Clear Creek fire two days after the U.S. Forest Service announced their certification on Monday.

The group of 20 firefighters is the first interagency hotshot crew from the Lake Tahoe Basin.