As The Davis Fire Continues to Burn, Lake Tahoe, CA, Ski Areas Hope to Survive

The Davis fire, located just Northwest of Lake Tahoe, began burning at approximately 2:30 pm on September 7, 2024. Coupled with strong and irregular winds in the coming days, it seemed to be a recipe for disaster, reminiscent of the Caldor fire that burned structures and much of Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort on Echo Pass and threatened South Lake Tahoe in 2021.

Almost immediately, large areas of South Reno were evacuated due to the Davis Fire’s close proximity. Come September 8, 2024, the evacuation zone grew to include stretches of the Mount Rose Highway, which included Sky Tavern, a small volunteer-based ski resort and mountain bike park. Mount Rose Ski Resort was also evacuated, and at that point locals were just hoping to not see another family-owned ski resort burn. Mount Rose Ski Resort is family-owned, and this scenario is eerily reminiscent of the conditions that led to much of Sierra-at-Tahoe being swallowed up in the 2021 Caldor fire. A total of 12,000 to 14,000 people were evacuated from various neighborhoods in South Reno due to the Davis fire, according to an update posted September 10 on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s X account. Luckily enough, these folks have since been allowed to return home with the growing containment of the wildfire.

As the Davis fire continued to burn, it came within a mile of Mount Rose’s 1200-acre property, on the Eastern edge. Mount Rose anticipated this and had taken some precautions to mitigate damage in case the fire did reach them. They turned on sprinklers near buildings before evacuating and also relocated key equipment that would be very expensive to replace. Losing equipment was a huge blow to Sierra-at-Tahoe during the Caldor fire and a part of what made it take a season before reopening again.

Fortunately, with cooler weather arriving in the area on September 14 & 15, and even some light precipitation, fire crews have been able to make a lot of progress in containment. The Davis fire currently sits at just over 5,800 acres, and is 92% contained. At this stage, according to Truckee Meadow Fire Rescue, there is no active fire suppression necessary and they are mainly focused on patrolling fire activity and beginning to repair areas affected by the fire. With a quarter inch of rainfall expected for the area September 18, things are looking good for Mount Rose and Sky Tavern at this time.

As of September 15, 2024 all evacuation orders were lifted, and Mount Rose Highway reopened for transit. Unfortunately, at least 14 structures have been lost in the Davis fire, although none of them at Sky Tavern or Mount Rose. Sky Tavern remains closed even after the evacuation order has been lifted, according to their website. The investigation to determine the cause of the fire remains ongoing at this time.