Fire History
El Dorado County encompasses a broad stretch of Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains with significant fire history. The 2021 Caldor Fire (221,835 acres) forced the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe, burned through the communities of Grizzly Flats and Echo Summit, and became one of the first fires to threaten the Tahoe Basin at scale. The 2022 Fawn Fire and Mosquito Fire further demonstrated the ongoing high risk in the county's northern and central foothill areas.
Local Compliance Notes
CAL FIRE Amador-El Dorado Unit serves unincorporated SRA areas. Communities throughout the county's foothill and mountain zones face significant Zone Zero obligations. The Caldor Fire demonstrated that even communities with significant defensible space can be threatened at extreme fire behavior. Grizzly Flats, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Placerville, and South Lake Tahoe-adjacent communities should prioritize early compliance.
Neighborhoods in Zone Zero
High-FHSZ communities in El Dorado County include Grizzly Flats, Somerset, Placerville hillsides, El Dorado Hills eastern areas, Cameron Park hillsides, Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs, Georgetown, Garden Valley, Cool, and communities along Highway 50 in the mountains.
Local FAQs
Do South Lake Tahoe-area properties need to comply with Zone Zero? Yes — the Tahoe Basin communities in El Dorado County are in FHSZ areas and Zone Zero requirements apply. The 2021 Caldor Fire evacuation of 50,000+ residents demonstrated the extreme risk in this area. Contact CAL FIRE or El Dorado County for jurisdiction-specific Phase 2 timeline information.