SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A recently revealed 60 Minutes investigation shows how the U.S. Forest Service might have made some dire missteps in fighting the devastating Caldor Fire near South Lake Tahoe last summer.
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The fire broke out last August and would go on to destroy 600 homes in the town of Grizzly Flats. But the destruction could have been avoided if the Forest Service hadn’t mismanaged its efforts, according to local firefighters.
The flames reportedly grew as high as 30 feet above the treetops in the area.
Locals who lost their homes and are trying to get their lives back on track are struggling to rebuild and clear away the damaged trees.
But if things had gone differently, residents might have had to deal with these issues at all.
According to dispatch logs and records used in the investigation, outdated maps were used by the Forest Service and led to fire engines being sent down roads that had been washed out for months.
Crews were also released before reinforcements had arrived and firefighting efforts were paused during ideal periods of weather.
Grant Ingram, a retired firefighter captain who fought wildfires for CAL FIRE and the Forest Service, told CBS in the 60 Minutes story that the Forest Service management team shoulders much of the responsibility for how things played out.
"We typically fought fires at night, that was the best time to do it, but yet this Forest Service incident commander was ordering people to stop," Ingram told CBS. "I couldn't believe it at first."
"Firefighting is dangerous, but you don’t call 911 when you’re a firefighter," he said. "You are there as 911."
The Forest Service has claimed that its resources were stretched thin during the time of the fire because of the Dixie Fire that was also burning nearby.
Additionally, the Forest Service said that conditions were unsafe for crews, and they needed to be pulled back to reassess.
But for local critics, trees weren’t thinned and debris wasn't cleared properly to prevent the fire from descending on Grizzly Flats.
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