Caldor Fire: Firefighters show battle against giant flames from the trenches

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) -- With inside views from Meyers to Christmas Valley to Echo Summit, Caldor Fire firefighters on the frontlines are showing us exactly what they're up against.

With flames burning just feet away from the crews, and a Meyers, Calif. home, one firefighter explains how they've dug a trench to provide a break. It's their "best shot," he says, at protecting houses right on the other side of that trench.
[Ads /]
"It's getting hot," says a voice in the background.

RELATED: Caldor Fire approaches Lake Tahoe, forcing thousands to evacuate

A shot from inside Christmas Valley shows flames higher than the trees in the forest. The first responder behind the camera describes the valley as "a big bowl of fire."
[Ads /]
Just beneath Echo Summit, on the Highway 50 approach into Tahoe, more giant flames. Up on the ridge, "a building on fire." In the other direction a cabin is fully engulfed in flames.

Crews say they can't stay long, showing fire encroaching upward from the cliff beneath the highway.

WATCH: Video compilation shows terrifying evacuation situation in South Lake Tahoe


WILDFIRE TRACKER: Interactive map shows where wildfires are burning in CA