With the Kyburz wildfire in the El Dorado National Forest 40 percent contained, Caltrans re-opened the sierra stretch of U.S. Highway 50 at 4:42 p.m. on Tuesday.
The road had been closed to one-lane, controlled traffic since yesterday.
Steve Nelson with Caltrans says the closure was imposed to allow unfettered access by fire trucks.
“We had problems especially yesterday with visibility because of the smoke,” says Nelson.
One lane of the highway had been open with traffic being escorted in both directions.
The California Highway Patrol says the fire may have been sparked Monday by a broken axle from a motor home.
The U.S. Forest Service says the fire in the El Dorado National Forest has burned about 160 acres 40 miles west of Lake Tahoe. The fire hasn't damaged any homes, but two other structures were damaged. There are about 800 firefighters on the lines.
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