Angora Fire -- June 27, afternoon

Another email to friends and family:

Latest on Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2637144620070627 ... though I have phoned in an update that should be posted soon.

Guvs of CA and NV and the Lt. guvs and CA's ins. commish had a press conference at 1 today. No one said much of interest. They are working to have Tahoe be declared a national disaster area.

Fire is expected to be contained on July 3. Still at 3,100 acres, 44 percent contained.

The fire is one-half mile from Highway 89 between 15th Street and as the road narrows going to Camp Rich. (That's for those who know the area.) It's one mile from the lake. And, although the lake would put the fire out, a whole lotta homes would go up before that happened -- 950 residences remain threatened along with 350 miscellaneous structures, mostly commercial buildings.

We are still in voluntary evac mode. This morning we took things to Roni and Brenda's ... another thank you to them. And thanks to everyone who has offered us lodging and good wishes.

The winds, as predicted, have picked up. Not sure what that will mean to us. I'll be taking Bailey and the computer with me to the 6 p.m. briefing and 8 pm community meeting at the middle school -- in case all hell breaks loose again or worse.

A Forest Service official told me off the record that the fire started from an illegal campfire. No one will go on the record with that. Reuters won't print it without attribution -- probably a good thing -- but no reason to believe the person is giving me bad info. No word of anyone being detained-arrested in connection with the fire.

Idiots are looting evacuated homes ... some have been caught.

The fire is expected to cost $29 million to fight; losses are in excess of $150 million.
The fire yesterday on Gardner Mountain scorched one deck, but that's it. Too amazing to go up there today and see 100 foot pines charred. And to think yesterday it was a thriving forest.

Runoff from winter rain, spring snowpack or a summer thunderstorm will be horrid and devasting ... so even when the fire is out we will still have many environmental issues to deal with beyond rebuilding the 200+ homes that have been destroyed.

More later ...