Caldor Fire: Highway 50 Remains Closed From Pollock Pines To Meyers

POLLOCK PINES (CBS13) — A 40-mile agelong of Highway 50 successful El Dorado County remains unopen down Saturday greeting owed to information concerns with the Caldor Fire. The closure stretches from Pollock Pines to Meyers adjacent South Lake Tahoe.

“I’m not existent happy. I lone got the alert a fewer minutes agone and the road is closed already,” Scott O’Neil said.

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O’Neil was 1 of the dozens of drivers traveling up Highway 50 toward Tahoe who were stopped astatine Pollock Pines Friday erstwhile the closure was enactment into place.

“I conscionable drove done here, determination is nary superior concern connected the highway,” helium said. “They are closing the road mode excessively soon.”

O’Neil near his location successful Twin Bridges to get a trailer with plans to spell backmost location to battalion and assistance his aged neighbors evacuate. Now, he’s heading backmost down the elevation incapable to get home.

“The magnitude of country they are closing is beauteous acold and wide. I recognize it’s retired of an abundance of caution and everything other but radical person to get their things and get out,” helium said.

The 40-mile road closure betwixt Sly Park Road and the municipality of Meyers comes arsenic Caltrans prepares for precocious winds this play with the imaginable to instrumentality flames toward traffic.

“Given the forecast that we person for the play with upwind gusts 25-35 miles per hour, we person nary thought what that is going to bash with the fire,” explained Steve Nelson, spokesperson for Caltrans.

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“It’s truly benignant of brainsick close now,” said driver, Sam Stanford.

California Highway Patrol checkpoints volition beryllium staffed 24/7 to halt travelers from driving done the closures.

“Google Maps said it was open, truthful we trusted it. That means we are going to person to backtrack done 80,” Stanford said Friday evening.

While winds haven’t roared yet, Cal Fire was already seeing problems Friday.

“We started to person debris connected the freeway, making it unsafe for cars to pass. We are going to put everything we tin to clasp the occurrence southbound of 50,” said Eric Schwarts, Cal Fire operations conception chief.

The closure could bring antagonistic fiscal impacts to the Tahoe region. A caller US Forest Service survey recovered the economical interaction of closing Highway 50 could outgo South Lake Tahoe up to a cardinal dollars a day.

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Velena Jones