Real-time wildfire monitoring across the Tahoe basin. ALERTCalifornia camera feeds, current air quality, active fire tracking, and evacuation resources for Truckee, North Shore, South Shore, and surrounding communities.
Pan, zoom, and click any camera icon on the map to view a live feed. Cameras provide 360-degree coverage updated every few seconds.
Key ALERTCalifornia camera positions covering the Lake Tahoe basin and surrounding ridgelines.
Covers Truckee, Northstar, Martis Valley, and the I-80 / SR-267 corridors. Primary camera for early detection of fires threatening the Truckee area.
Positioned in the Mt. Rose area with views across Washoe Valley, Incline Village, and the northeast Tahoe basin. Critical for monitoring the Mt. Rose Highway corridor.
High-elevation camera with sweeping views of the South Shore, Meyers, Christmas Valley, and the Upper Truckee River watershed. Covers both California and Nevada sides.
Monitors the West Shore from Tahoma to Tahoe City, including Blackwood Canyon and the surrounding forested ridgelines along SR-89.
Covers the North Shore corridor from Tahoe City to Kings Beach, including Dollar Hill, the Tahoe Rim Trail access points, and surrounding residential areas.
Monitors the Nevada side of North Shore, Diamond Peak vicinity, and the forested slopes above Crystal Bay and Sand Harbor. Key for east-basin fire detection.
Covers Emerald Bay State Park, D.L. Bliss, and the steep terrain along the southwest shore. Monitors the densely forested area between Meeks Bay and Cascade Lake.
Coverage of the South Lake Tahoe urban corridor, the Angora Ridge area, and approaches from the Pioneer Trail and Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Critical for populated-area monitoring.
Check these official sources for active fire incidents near Lake Tahoe. During fire season, conditions change rapidly.
Federal wildfire incident information — active fires, containment status, evacuation orders, and closures.
California Department of Forestry active incident tracker with acreage, containment percentages, and resources deployed.
NIFC provides national fire preparedness levels, situation reports, and large fire maps across all federal agencies.
Live air quality readings for the Truckee/North Tahoe area. During wildfire events, PM2.5 levels can spike rapidly.
Data from Open-Meteo Air Quality API • Updated hourly • Lat 39.10, Lon -120.05
ALERTCalifornia, a program run by the University of California San Diego in partnership with CAL FIRE, operates over 1,200 high-definition cameras positioned across California's wildland-urban interface. These cameras provide 360-degree pan, tilt, and zoom capability, streaming live imagery to fire agencies around the clock. Each camera updates every few seconds, giving dispatchers and the public a real-time view of conditions on the ground.
Around Lake Tahoe, the ALERTCalifornia network is especially critical. The basin sits at approximately 6,225 feet elevation, surrounded by ridgelines that climb past 9,000 feet. Cameras positioned at these high points, like Martis Peak at 8,742 feet and Slide Mountain at 9,698 feet, can detect smoke columns long before they become visible at ground level. During the early stages of a fire, these cameras often provide the first confirmation of an incident, allowing CAL FIRE and local agencies to mobilize resources before a small start becomes a large event.
The cameras are integrated with artificial intelligence systems that automatically detect smoke plumes and alert fire agencies. This AI-assisted detection has dramatically reduced response times, particularly for fires that start in remote areas where they might otherwise burn undetected for hours. The system cross-references multiple camera angles to triangulate the origin of smoke, giving responders precise location data.
Fire season around Lake Tahoe typically runs from late June through October, though climate shifts have extended this window in recent years. Peak fire danger usually occurs in August and September, when humidity drops below 15%, afternoon winds pick up, and vegetation reaches its driest point after months without significant rainfall.
Several factors make the Tahoe basin particularly vulnerable to wildfire. Over a century of fire suppression has created dense forest stands with heavy fuel loads. Many residential areas sit directly within or adjacent to dense conifer forests, creating a dangerous wildland-urban interface. The terrain is steep, which accelerates fire spread uphill. Afternoon winds commonly funnel through canyons and along ridgelines, pushing fires in unpredictable directions. Lightning from summer thunderstorms is a leading natural ignition source, and human activity accounts for the majority of fire starts.
The Angora Fire of 2007, which destroyed 254 homes in South Lake Tahoe, remains a stark reminder of the basin's fire risk. That fire burned 3,100 acres in a matter of hours, driven by winds through dense timber that hadn't burned in decades. More recently, the Caldor Fire in 2021 forced the complete evacuation of South Lake Tahoe and burned over 221,000 acres, demonstrating that large, fast-moving fires can threaten the entire basin.
Defensible space is the single most important action homeowners can take. California law requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures. Zone 1, within 30 feet of the structure, should be lean, clean, and green. Remove dead vegetation, trim tree branches at least 10 feet from chimneys and stovepipes, and keep gutters clear of debris. Zone 2, from 30 to 100 feet, should have reduced fuel loads with spacing between trees and shrubs.
When a camera or its AI system detects potential smoke, an alert is sent directly to the CAL FIRE Emergency Command Center. Dispatchers can immediately access the camera feed, zoom in on the area of concern, and cross-reference with nearby cameras to confirm whether the smoke is from a wildfire or a permitted burn. This system allows CAL FIRE to dispatch aircraft and ground crews to the exact location within minutes of detection, a process that previously could take hours when relying solely on 911 calls or lookout towers.
The public also has full access to these camera feeds through the ALERTCalifornia website. During active fire events, residents can monitor conditions in their area, verify whether smoke they see is from a known incident, and make informed decisions about evacuation timing. The cameras provide a level of situational awareness that was simply not available during earlier fire events like Angora or King.
Every community around Lake Tahoe falls within a county emergency management jurisdiction. Sign up for alerts before fire season begins. These systems send zone-specific notifications, meaning you will only receive evacuation warnings and orders relevant to your neighborhood.
The Ready for Wildfire website and mobile app from CAL FIRE provide comprehensive preparation guides, real-time incident tracking, and checklists for creating defensible space around your property.
Full weather dashboard with wind, temperature, humidity, and wildfire risk monitoring for the Tahoe basin.
→ View WeatherOfficial California wildfire incident tracker with real-time acreage, containment, and evacuation data.
→ Check IncidentsFederal interagency wildfire incident information system covering fires on national forest and BLM lands.
→ View MapCAL FIRE's official wildfire preparation resource. Evacuation checklists, defensible space guides, and the Ready app.
→ Get PreparedEmergency services for Truckee, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, and North Shore communities. Sign up for alerts.
→ Placer AlertsEmergency services covering Truckee's western areas, Donner Lake, and western Nevada County communities.
→ Nevada County AlertsEmergency services for South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, and the West Shore. Evacuation zones and alert registration.
→ El Dorado Alerts