Three Small Fires Briefly Flare Across El Dorado County
Three extremely small, remote wildfires were reported over the weekend in and around El Dorado County, with incidents occurring on both private property and federal timber lands.
The fires — identified as the Margaret Fire, Meyers Fire and Duncan Fire — were reported Oct. 3 and Oct. 4. None has been reported as a major incident, but the cluster provides another reminder that wildfire risk remains a concern for El Dorado County residents even as the calendar moves into October.
The Margaret Fire was discovered early Sunday morning, Oct. 4, on private land within El Dorado County. A Sacramento Bee wildfire update listed the incident among Northern California fire activity Sunday and specifically identified it as an El Dorado County fire.
Later Sunday evening, the Meyers Fire was logged as another minor vegetation fire on private property. The incident occurred in the Meyers area, a community along the U.S. Highway 50 corridor near the eastern edge of El Dorado County and adjacent to extensive forest lands.
The Duncan Fire, reported Saturday, Oct. 3, was located on federal land under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service.
The distinction between the incidents is significant in a county where the wildland-urban interface crosses jurisdictional boundaries. El Dorado County includes extensive private timber holdings alongside the Eldorado National Forest, meaning fire response can involve local fire agencies, CAL FIRE and federal resources depending on where a fire starts.
A 2025 El Dorado County Community Wildfire Protection Plan identifies the county’s fire agencies and notes that CAL FIRE resources can be augmented by neighboring units and other agencies. The plan also identifies the Tahoe-Meyers Fire Center among CAL FIRE’s local resources.
The Eldorado National Forest encompasses large portions of the county’s higher-elevation forest country, including areas around Meyers and the Highway 50 corridor. Forest Service mapping shows Meyers and surrounding communities immediately adjacent to National Forest lands.
That geography matters because a fire does not recognize a property line or jurisdictional boundary. A small ignition on private land can threaten forest vegetation, while a fire on federal land can quickly become a concern for nearby homes and communities.
The weekend incidents also come against a backdrop of continuing elevated fire concerns in the Sierra. Forest Service information for the Eldorado National Forest showed an adjective fire-danger rating of very high for the Oct. 2-3 period, with a project activity level of Charlie.
For residents who remember the Caldor Fire, the significance of three small fires is not necessarily their size. It is the fact that each began in terrain where a seemingly insignificant ignition can become much more consequential if weather, fuels and wind align.
The Caldor Fire, which began in August 2021, ultimately burned nearly 222,000 acres across the central and western Sierra Nevada, including extensive areas of El Dorado County.
For now, the Margaret, Meyers and Duncan fires remain minor incidents rather than major wildfire emergencies. But for a county still living with the memory of Caldor, the weekend’s activity is a useful reminder: small fires are good news only when they stay small.
