Caldor Fire Blows Up

This thing blew up quick! Right now, it's threatening Pollock Pines, and will likely cut Highway 50, the main route between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. Pollock Pines saw the Sand Fire in 2014. This thing looks worse:

A few miles from the tourist spot of Apple Hill, Pollock Pines is home to many retirees drawn to the trees in the foothills at the edge of the Eldorado National Forest. Many still remember the Sand Fire in 2014 that burned 4,200 acres and 20 homes and came dangerously close to forcing a major evacuation in Pollock Pines and surrounding communities.

On Tuesday, Kimberly McCarthy, owner of the 50 Grand Restaurant & Bar in Pollock Pines, rushed over to the restaurant to gather up paperwork “and get out of the way.”

McCarthy said the restaurant has been closed for remodeling for several months and was getting close to reopening. When she looked out the window from her home near Camino, she could see plenty of smoke. 

“I just hope everybody’s OK,” she said. “It’s sort of surreal.” She said most of the town’s businesses had closed.