The Caldor fire is menacing Lake Tahoe.

• Sept. 2, 2021, 9:32 a.m. ET

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — There were respective flare-ups during a dynamic 24 hours on the far-flung occurrence lines of the Caldor fire. Giant funnels of fume poured from forested hillsides. But contempt the ominous scene, firefighters precocious Wednesday nighttime said the flames were nary person to Lake Tahoe than the time before.

It was a spot of invited quality for residents who had evacuated the country arsenic the Caldor occurrence pushed aggressively eastbound toward the borderline of California and Nevada. It has burned much than 200,000 acres, destroying 780 structures and injuring 5 people.

Conditions were peculiarly challenging successful the distant forests southeast of the lake, Beale Monday, a conception main with the U.S. Forest Service, said successful a briefing.

“This is immoderate precise pugnacious country, precise steep, precise rugged and it’s conscionable not harmless to effort to enactment radical close connected the fire’s borderline now,” helium said.

After the Caldor occurrence descended the granite cliffs of the Tahoe basin connected Monday, firefighters positioned themselves successful the evacuated neighborhoods of Meyers and Christmas Valley straight southbound of Lake Tahoe. Night and day, occurrence crews are patrolling deserted streets to tamp retired the spot fires caused by flying embers.

Firefighters are hoping an country they cleared on a creek astir 8 miles southbound of the lake’s shores volition support the flames from traveling toward South Lake Tahoe and yet the tens of thousands of businesses and residences that rim the lake.

The blaze, which is 23 percent contained, has eaten up hillsides crossed from the Kirkwood skis resort, a 40-minute thrust southeast of the lake, and Mr. Monday said firefighters were battling spot fires and “squirrelly winds” successful the Kirkwood area.