Fire Closes Road to Tahoe; Scores Leave Their Homes

A fierce blaze charred more than 700 acres today in the rugged Sierra Nevada, causing the evacuation of scores of residents and the closure of U.S. 50, the main east-west artery to Lake Tahoe.

Investigators said the fire was artificially set, but they were unsure whether the blaze was sparked accidentally or by arsonists.

At least three dwellings--two homes and a mountain cabin--were confirmed destroyed, and there were unofficial reports that a dozen structures were lost. One firefighter suffered minor injuries, a state forestry spokeswoman said, and was treated at the scene.

U.S. 50, closed through the morning, was scheduled to reopen at 1 p.m. today, said California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Norma Kelly.

The blaze began shortly after 3 a.m. about 60 miles east of Sacramento, near the tiny community of Camino, said Elaine Heal, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry.

Spokesman Steve Parker said that the fire was “tentatively contained” before noon but that full control was not expected until evening.

The fire began in an area called Webber Canyon, where authorities found the charred hulk of a pickup truck. Parker said that the blaze may have been ignited by the truck’s exhaust or that passers-by may have torched the vehicle.

Sgt. Steve Ayers of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department said about 120 people were evacuated from the area. “Most of them just left on their own,” he said. Ayres said that evacuation centers were established at two local schools and that “there are probably 50 or 60 in one and the same number in the other.”

U.S. 50, the main direct route linking the Lake Tahoe recreational area with the San Francisco Bay Area, was closed to traffic between Placerville and Meyers, Kelly said, a 50-mile stretch.