Lawmakers Press For Tahoe Fire Plan

Fire officials and Nevada lawmakers say its critical to develop an emergency evacuation plan for the Tahoe basin in the event of a major wildfire.

A legislative committee that oversees the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency was told that narrow streets, tinder-dry forests and few escape routes around Lake Tahoe spell potential disaster if a large fire breaks out.

Panel members say the urgency for a plan became clear after last month´s Waterfall fire in Carson City that destroyed 17 homes and burned 87-hundred acres.

Fire and other Nevada public safety officials say they´re working on a plan but that the effort will require more funding and coordination. Douglas County plans a drill on Friday to test its evacuation plan for the upscale community of Glenbrook on Tahoe´s southeast shore.