Caldor Fire Now 100% Contained; Large Trees May Smolder Well Into Winter
EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) — The Caldor Fire is now fully contained, authorities say.
On Thursday, the interagency management team handling the incident announced that crews had reached 100 percent containment of the wildfire.
Firefighters have been battling the Caldor Fire since Aug. 14.
In total, the fire burned 221,835 acres - making it the 15th largest fire in recorded California history.
While now fully contained, authorities say some communities in the Caldor Fire area may still see firefighters over the next few weeks as work is still ongoing to repair fire lines.
Further, officials note that the being contained is just the first of three phases that signal the end of a large firefight. Firefighters say large-diameter trees and stump holes are expected to smolder - even well into winter months. Once a fire is contained, the next phase is controlled - where firefighters are confident flames will not breach the containment line.
Wildfires are only considered fully out when there are no hot embers, no smoke, and no fire within the perimeter.