Major Tahoe Basin fire not an 'if,' but a 'when'

Over the last two weeks, Sierra Nevada residents have been reminded of the power of Mother Nature, as lightning storms have sparked fires inside and outside of the Lake Tahoe Basin, burning tens of thousands of acres and necessitating evacuations in some areas in the valleys east of the lake.

A combination of luck and vigilance of fire districts within the Lake Tahoe Basin has so far spared us from any major fires, but in the Carson Valley, Carson City and Reno areas, fires have raged out of control. Even with the hard work of thousands of firefighters, along with support from helicopters and airplanes, it took another act of Mother Nature - rainstorms - for emergency workers to get the upper hand.

During the worst of the fires, residents in Mound House were driven from their homes, and Gov. Kenny Guinn declared a state of emergency - the first days of the Sierra-Tahoe Complex fires harkened back to the 2004 Waterfall fire, which burned dozens of structures on the west side of Carson City and threatened at one point to move uphill towards Lake Tahoe

The lesson: Even after an above-average season for snow and rain, the interface between forested areas and desert is a tinderbox, and the potential for fire in dense forest in the basin remains the clearest threat to residents' and visitors' safety.

What do we do? Unfortunately, the process of forestry management to reduce fire fuels around the basin is a slow one. Forestry efforts have been under way for years and have made much progress, but resources are limited, and time is not on Tahoe's side. Our only other option is promoting safe practices that protect homes (by creating defensible space), reduce the threat of human-caused fires in the forest and constantly educate visitors about the danger we all face.

Many who deal in the business of firefighting and forest fuels management say it's not a matter of "if" but "when," regarding a catastrophic fire in the Lake Tahoe Basin. We almost had it four years ago when the (human-caused) Gondola fire raged above Stateline on the South Shore. If we had been better educators then, perhaps that blaze could have been avoided. It will be decades and millions of dollars spent before we can control what burns. But right now we can do much to stop fires from starting by being responsible homeowners and residents, and constantly reinforcing the message to Lake Tahoe's visitors.

- From the Tahoe Daily Tribune