Lake Tahoe Ready To Welcome Back Visitors After Caldor Fire Dies Down

LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) - Lake Tahoe is back in action. The tourist destination is now pushing for people to make a return after the Caldor Fire forced people to stay away.

At Adrift in Kings Beach, it's hasn't been business as usual the last few weeks.

"May was great. June was great. July was great, and then the Caldor Fire," said Adrift owner Marcus Tingle.

The scene over Labor Day weekend was a ghost town, and choked in smoke. The area urged people to stay away. Tingle had to close his doors.

"That really hurt, especially in August," said Tingle. "That's a major blow to the business."

But now, he's back at it and looking to share September in Tahoe in visitors, like Kimberly and Ted.

The couple was eager for days to enjoy the beach, but couldn't.

"When we couldn't come up - I was sad," Kim said.

Businesses along with the Tahoe Visitor Bureaus in North and South Lake want to see others come through, too. Weeks after the flames and the air quality were at its peak, they're hoping people make a return.

"The place is good and healthy - we didn't have any structural fires in the basin itself," said Andy Chapman, CEO and President of the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau.

It's welcome news for Tingle, hoping to finish out his summer season strong with those who make a touristy Tahoe special.

"They come back with a big smile. Almost always and that is probably the neatest thing," Tingle said.

The Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitor Bureau said it will be some time before we know how much of an economic impact turning tourists away for weeks may have had on the community.