The origin of the 20-acre Tahoe City fire that destroyed five homes near Tahoe City on Saturday has been confirmed as a propane barbecue located on the back deck of 1525 Washoe Way, fire officials said today.
The North Tahoe Fire Protection District investigation continues and a district spokesman said they will soon release more details of the exact cause.
The barbecue unit is currently being tested at an independent lab to see if the grill had any faulty parts and determine why it started the fire, which strong winds spread to neighboring homes.
"[Fire] investigators have ways of telling what started first, what the point of origin was, if there were any accelerants," said North Tahoe Fire spokesman Ed Miller.
"It's amazing how much they can pull out of the charred remains."