Angora -- burn closure extended

ate: November 29, 2007

Contact: Cheva Heck, (530) 543-2608 or Rex Norman, (530) 543-2627

ANGORA FIRE AREA CLOSURE EXTENDED UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2008
Forest Service Removes Urban Lots from Closed Area

South Lake Tahoe Calif. USDA Forest Service officials of the Lake
Tahoe
Basin Management Unit have extended the public closure of most of the
Angora Fire area until January 31, 2008. The lack of snow cover to
date
leaves the area sensitive to disturbance and damage that may lead to
erosion. The extension does not apply to the urban lots managed by the
Forest Service.

The purpose of the closure is to allow for the emergency treatments,
particularly the hydromulch, to remain undisturbed until significant
snowfall reaches the area, and to maintain public safety in light of
post-fire hazards, particularly tree falls. The Forest Service treated
more
than 600 acres using aerial hydromulching. The mulch material can be
peeled
away easily by people hiking or biking on it, which then allows water
to
run beneath it or wind to flake it away, undermining the treatment's
ability to stabilize the soil.

The Angora Fire started on June 24, from an abandoned illegal campfire.
The fire was contained on July 2, declared controlled on July 20 and
declared out on November 15. The largest wildfire in the Lake Tahoe
Basin
in over a century, the Angora Fire scorched just under 3,100 acres, and
destroyed more than 250 homes.

Emergency treatments were immediately implemented to protect life and
property, as well as minimize environmental damage and water quality
impacts on Angora Creek and Lake Tahoe.

For more information, contact the Forest Supervisor’s Office at (530)
543-2694. The closure order, as well as a map of the area affected by
the
closure, will be posted on the Forest Service LTBMU website:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu.