STATELINE, Nev. — Charles Barkley has been actively involved in raising money and awareness for fire safety in Lake Tahoe since the Angora Fire devastated the area 15 years ago.

In a joint statement with Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District Chief Scott Lindgren, Barkley urged his supporters to donate to Operation Save the Basin, the district’s campaign to purchase a helicopter for the Basin.

“We just want to appreciate Charles Barkley and all he’s done for the Basin. He was a huge contributor to the recovery of the catastrophic Angora Fire we had in 2007. He’s always been a big supporter of the fire service in Lake Tahoe,” Lindgren said.

The helicopter would be accessible to all fire agencies in the basin and would be a key piece in addressing fires as soon as they start, especially in the backcountry that isn’t easy to access by truck.

“We almost burned this whole place down last year and we do not have a designated fire rescue helicopter to protect us up here and we drastically need it,” Lindgren said.

Barkley has been coming to Lake Tahoe for 30 years and refers to it as a “national treasure.”

“This is something that’s really, really important. Hey, fire danger is not going anywhere … so anything you can do to help, please help these get that helicopter, please because we can’t let that happen to this place,” Barkley said.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit https://tahoefire.org/helicopter.