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Wildfire spotted in Glenbrook Bay area

by Gregory Crofton, Tribune staff writer

A wildfire was reported early Sunday morning by residents who live near Glenbrook Bay.

Tahoe-Douglas firefighters found the half-acre blaze near the east of Prey Meadow Road a little after midnight and extinguished the fire by 4:30 a.m.

The fire reportedly spread uphill with its base about 700 feet from a home in the area. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, said Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Van Cleemput.



“Since the lightning storms this past week we’ve had several fires that cropped up after the moisture dried out,” Van Cleemput said. “There were no houses on the land. We still haven’t determined exactly who owns the property.”

Four engines, a water truck and 15 men from Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District worked on the fire. Personnel from two U.S. Forest Service fire engines assisted at the scene.



Van Cleemput said firefighters used foam, water and shovels to extinguish the blaze. “We cut a line around it and used water to remove the hot spots,” he said. ” We used some foam because it penetrates soil better than standard water.”

Paul Tyler, fire investigator for U.S. Forest Service at Lake Tahoe Basin, said they have responded to 10 fires since the lightning storms hit Tuesday. “There was a lot of rain,” he said, “but lightning sleeps inside of trees and sleepers can go on for two weeks. We could easily have some sleepers pop up the next week or so.”

Tyler said Saturday morning’s fire in the Glenbrook area concerned him because in 1985 a controlled burn in the same area got out of hand and burned 100 acres.


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