Caldor Fire: Bear surrounded by smoke while wandering fire zone in Strawberry

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Monday, August 30, 2021
Bear surrounded by smoke while wandering Caldor Fire zone
Video of a bear shrouded in smoke was taken Friday in the town of Strawberry in El Dorado County.

STRAWBERRY, Calif. (KGO) -- Eerie images are coming out of the Caldor Fire zone near Lake Tahoe.

Video of a bear shrouded in smoke was taken Friday in the town of Strawberry in El Dorado County.

You can see ash falling as the bear goes about its day.

VIDEO: Caldor Fire: South Lake Tahoe 'a ghost town' as residents, tourists brace to evacuate

Air quality around South Lake Tahoe is deteriorating as the Caldor Fire is moving closer - leaving residents and tourists bracing to evacuate.

The Caldor Fire sparked Aug. 14 and is now just 19% contained after burning nearly 245 square miles, an area larger than the city of Chicago.

Over 15,000 California firefighters are battling more than a dozen large fires in the state.

RELATED: Evacuation warning 'possible' for South Lake Tahoe as massive blaze moves closer

The projected date for full containment is Sept. 8, pushed back from early this week, according to the Associated Press.

The Northern Sierra region is under a red flag warning for critical fire conditions on Monday and Tuesday.