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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) – State Sen. Brian Dahle, who represents 11 Northern California counties including El Dorado County where the Caldor Fire is burning, joins FOX40’s Nikki Laurenzo to discuss the Caldor Fire and the need for a focus on fire prevention.

“We had the Angora Fire quite some time ago in the basin, and that was a wake-up warning for our constituents. We’ve been working with the Tahoe Conservancy, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy trying to do fuel reductions around the lake,” Dahle said. “We’ll see after this fire where that made a difference.” 

Dahle says California needs to focus more on fire prevention.

“Fire knows no political boundary. Doesn’t matter what party you belong to, it’ll take your life, it’ll take your land, it’ll take your environment,” Dahle said. “We can do a better job at projects available.” 

The Caldor Fire has scorched 191,607 acres, nearly 300 square miles, since breaking out Aug. 14. After the weekend’s fierce burning, containment dropped from 19% to 16% Tuesday morning. More than 600 structures, including 486 homes, have been destroyed. At least 33,600 more were threatened.