Update: 3:45 p.m. — The Sierra News Bulletin is reporting specialized firefighting equipment arrived Wednesday afternoon and will be helping fight the fire.

Check out the full story and photographs.

Update: 10:50 a.m. — The Associated Press is reporting that 50 homes have burned in the area since the fire erupted on Saturday.

Residents in Lake Tahoe are not in any danger at this time as the fire is not in the basin.

Update: 9 a.m. — A press release from Cal Fire on Wednesday said the Caldor Fire has grown to 53,772 acres and remains uncontained.

The release also said damage assessment is underway.

Original story

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The Caldor Fire exploded in size Tuesday due to extremely dry fuels and gusty southern winds.

The uncontained blaze has caused two injuries to civilians, destroyed numerous structures, many have been forced from their homes and Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for El Dorado County.

Cal Fire officials on Tuesday evening held a public meeting in Placerville and Chief Mike Blankenheim said fire is estimated to have burned about 30,000 acres between Grizzly Flat and Pollock Pines and has crossed east of Sly Park Road. An early morning update from the forest service says the blaze at about 23,000 acres.

The fire started Saturday night in the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River, an area hard to access, said Blankenheim. Wind conditions Monday afternoon created favorable burning conditions for the fire to spread at a rapid pace, he added.

The Eldorado National Forest has been closed due to extreme fire behavior and firefighter safety, said Supervisor Jeff Marsolais.

“The forest-wide closure will be in effect through Sept. 30, to facilitate unimpeded ingress and egress for evacuations, emergency response, and property access,” Marsolais said. “The closure will also limit the public’s exposure to fire danger and impaired visibility due to smoke. Because the fire is not controlled and is actively burning, there is a high risk of flare ups or uncontrolled runs within the forest.”

The closure includes all lands, roads and trails within the forest.

A violation of the order is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

A red flag warning is still in effect for the fire area through 8 p.m. Wednesday with winds switching to the northeast.

Resources that are available from outside of California are coming in to help with California’s blazes, said Cal Fire Chief Dusty Martin.

Multiple air tankers and helicopters were assigned to the Caldor Fire Monday and Tuesday, but like ground firefighters, resources must be shared due to other currently active blazes, said Martin. Resources must also be used to fight the Dixie Fire to the north, which has burned more than a half million acres.

James Thornock with the U.S. Forest Service said southwest wind patterns will continue to influence the fire in a northeastern direction.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Structure assessment teams will be evaluating these areas as soon as it is safe for them to do so.

There are about 6,000 structures threatened and officials said they expect full containment by Aug. 31.

Register for Code Red through local authority’s websites:

El Dorado County Code Red: https://ready.edso.org/

Amador County Code Red: https://www.amadorsheriff.org/administration- division/codered

If traveling to or from Lake Tahoe, be sure to check road conditions at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

Residents can call a public information line at 530-303-2455 for updates on the fire or go online to fire.ca.gov.