Lake Tahoe homeowners get $5K for free to fight wildfires

Some Lake Tahoe homeowners can now get paid to fireproof their properties before the next major blaze.

Residents in five Nevada-side Tahoe communities are eligible for rebates worth up to $5,000 under a new wildfire defense program aimed at helping homeowners clear dangerous vegetation and create safer space around their homes.

The Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, working with the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, is offering to reimburse homeowners for up to 50% of approved defensible space work in Upper Kingsbury, Zephyr Heights, Zephyr Cove, Zephyr Knolls and Marla Bay.

The program is aimed at high-risk areas where brush, trees and other flammable vegetation can help wildfires spread quickly toward homes.

Homeowners myst first schedule a defensible space inspection through the fire district, where officials will flag problem areas and tell residents what work needs to be done.

That could include removing brush, trimming trees, clearing so-called ladder fuels and creating more separation between vegetation and buildings, according to officials.

“We’ve been working with Tahoe Douglas Fire for the last few years to focus on areas that are at high fire risk,” Dana Olsen, assistant district manager for the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, told KRNV.

“We’re offering incentives for these high-risk areas to get additional funding for defensible space implementation.”

Once homeowners are pre-approved, they have 90 days to finish the required work, according to the conservation district.

The rebate only applies to defensible space violations — not home hardening projects or general landscaping upgrades.

Contractors also must be paid before homeowners submit for reimbursement, and a passing final inspection is required before the money is processed.

Olsen said much of the work centers on removing vegetation that can help flames climb from the ground into treetops.

“That’s what allows a low brush fire to creep up into the canopy, which is one of the bigger issues that cause catastrophic wildfires,” she told the outlet.

Funding for the program comes through the USDA Forest Service and the Nevada Division of Forestry, with officials hoping the effort could eventually expand beyond the five Tahoe neighborhoods.

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