Snow Helps In Final Stretch Of Fight Against Caldor Fire

TRUCKEE (CBS13) - The snow in the Truckee area was welcomed by fire agencies as the Caldor Fire continues to smolder in the Sierra.

Agencies said the snow and rain help with controlling burn spots that are tough to access, but the winter weather in the Sierra is giving locals whiplash after a devastating fire season.

"It's weird that [the snow] came so quick. I definitely wasn't expecting it," said Nick Alvarez.

He said his favorite resort burned in the Caldor fire.

"It sucks that it had to happen to a local resort, he said.

Alvarez hopes snow means fire season is over.

"The snow is definitely a welcomed sight. It definitely helped that it correlated with the fires," he said.

Though the wet weather won't immediately be put an end to the Caldor Fire, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Sarah Wheeler says it's helping to finish it off.

"Snow and precipitation does help provide a little bit of relief," she said.

Wheeler says the snow in Truckee will raise moisture levels—helping to extinguish smoldering hotspots.

"It's a large landscape and it's just impossible to get someone on every square foot of it, so anything Mother Nature can throw at us to help with that is always a benefit," she said.

According to Wheeler, fires could continue to burn through the winter months despite the snow.

"It's like if you had a really large campfire and dumped some water on it and walked away eventually that water will dissipate and evaporate, and that wood would still burn," she said. "It's going to take a lot of moisture to put it completely out."

In the meantime, locals are looking forward to the winter season.

Wheeler says another positive aspect of the snowfall is the hope that more fire crews can be released as containment increases on the Caldor Fire, freeing up resources and allowing crews who've been out on the line for quite some time to return home.