Tamarack Fire: Badly Burned Bear Cub Rescued In Markleeville; Blaze 45 Percent Contained; Alpine County Evacuation Orders Lifted
MARKLEEVILLE (CBS SF) -- An evacuated family returning to check on their Markleeville home over the weekend discovered a badly burned bear cub who had suffered severe burns in the Tamarack Fire.
The family called officials at the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care clinic and arrangements were made for a team to pick up the bear and transport it for treatment.
"We found the cub - sedated it - (tried to run down the hill in the pitch black dark but we found him) and headed back to LTWC," officials posted on Instagram Monday. "We gave him pain meds -- fluids & treated the paws. We will re-assess today for future treatment but as of this morning he was doing well."
The cub has been named 'Tamarack' by the caretakers. The 21-pound male cub has burns on all four of its feet.
"Tamarack is stable but we have a long way to go!," officials posted. "This lucky little survivor is going to need TONS of care & medical treatment!"
If you want to donate to the cub's care you can Go to the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care website
As of Monday morning, the Tamarack Fire was at 67,764 acres with 45 percent containment.
On Monday, evacuation orders in Alpine County in California were removed for Diamond Valley Road, Carson River Road, Woodfords, Alpine Village, Markleeville, Marklee Village, Shay Creek, Grover Hot Springs & Campground, East Fork Resort, Crystal Springs, Douglas Way and Wylder Resort.
In Douglas County, Nevada, evacuations were lifted for Topaz Ranch Estates and Topaz Lakes. Non-mandatory evacuations remain in place for the Holbrook Junction/Highlands area and Spring Valley areas.
Taking advantage of easing weather conditions, fire crews aggressively attacked the fire on along Highway 395 over the weekend using backfires, air support and an intensive ground effort to keep the flames from advancing any further eastward.
Damage assessment teams also visited the burn area near Leviathan Mine Road and uncovered significant structural damage. In all, 13 structures were damaged or destroyed.
However, there was some good news. The damage assessment teams did not find any structure damage in Topez Lake.