LOYALTON, Calif. – A strike team is mobilizing out of the Lake Tahoe Basin on an over 12,000-acre fire that has burned across three counties north of Tahoe.
The Elephant Fire started Saturday afternoon, igniting near Hwy 49 northeast of Loyalton, Calif. and has burned areas of the Lassen, Plumas and Sierra counties.
Now at 5% containment, the fire quickly spread from first sighting to an estimated 2,000 acres in just over two hours on Saturday, prompting evacuation warnings.
Ridgetop winds, dry fuels and difficult terrain have made fighting the fire challenging…