EXPLAINER: Around Tahoe, special places await a fire’s fate

By TOM VERDIN
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Caldor Fire in Northern California can be measured in more than acres burned. While it has claimed hundreds of homes, it also is churning through and threatening places that have been cherished getaways for generations of Californians and others. An entire town, South Lake Tahoe, lies in its path. The town is the center of a vast recreation wonderland that includes family cabins, campgrounds dating back decades, historic homes and backcountry trailheads that provide an escape from the metropolitan areas only a few hours away. As the fire defies a massive effort to contain it, Californians wonder what will be left when the flames are finished.