The entire city of South Lake Tahoe is under orders to evacuate, forcing thousands to flee as fire races toward the lake.
The new orders for people to immediately evacuate included part of the tourist city of South Lake Tahoe and about 24km up the western shore of the lake. It comes a day after communities several miles south of the lake had abruptly been ordered evacuated as the Caldor Fire raged nearby.
South Lake Tahoe's main medical facility, Barton Memorial Hospital, proactively evacuated 36 patients needing skilled nursing and 16 in acute care beds Sunday, sending them to regional facilities far from the fire, public information officer Mindi Befu said. The rest of the hospital was evacuating following Monday's expanded orders.
![Bob Hansen and Patty Kingsbury evacuating from their South Lake Tahoe as the Caldor Fire approaches. Photo / Noah Berger, AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/S7IDZHOQV45S5EVSGNHIGZN4I4.jpg?auth=f51e89a0006b989278533407d1a99fe643612d592a02aab91e673f903d27cd3a&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)