Cathedral fire at Fallen Leaf Lake is contained

While smoke remained visible Tuesday, crews made progress fighting the Cathedral fire north of Fallen Leaf Lake. The fire was 100 percent contained as of 5:30 p.m., Tuesday according to the U.S. Forest Service.

By creating a perimeter around the 25-acre fire, crews were able to get it under control, including dousing hot spots as they surfaced, said Forest Service spokesperson Todd Schaponot.

No structures burned and no injuries were reported. The fire erupted Monday at about 12:30 p.m. between Cathedral Road and the Mt. Tallac Trail adjacent to Fallen Leaf Lake on land managed by the Forest Service. A cause for the fire has not been determined.

For public safety reasons, the Forest Service has closed Cathedral Road off of Highway 89 as well as the Mount Tallac, Spring Creek and Stanford Camp trails and the Lilly Lake parking lot through Glen Alpine. The road and trails will remain closed until mop up is finished, which should be today around 6 p.m.

It was unclear whether the area, which includes large stands of pine trees and manzanita brush, had been thinned.

The fire was spotted by members of the El Dorado County Search and Rescue team who were looking for the body of a drowning victim at DL Bliss State park, Schaponot said.

Agency resources that responded included Forest Service fire crews from the El Dorado National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, strike team crews from the California Department of Forestry, Nevada Division of Forestry, local fire resources from South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe-Douglas and Fallen Leaf districts, El Dorado County Sheriff and El Dorado County Search and Rescue Volunteers.

Air resources dedicated to the fire included two medium helicopters and two air tankers. The South Lake Tahoe Airport was used as the aircraft staging location.

The Forest Service is reminding hikers and back country enthusiasts to contain their campfires to designated areas only. Fire danger remains high in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

"A lack of moisture and a continued dry trend are contributing

to the High Fire Danger rating," said Terri Marceron, supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the Forest Service.