‘They roamed the city’: bears move in on South Lake Tahoe as residents flee fire

Ursine invaders trash popular tourist destination on the California-Nevada border after evacuations

After the Caldor fire forced 22,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe, California, to evacuate, bears in the region took it upon themselves to patrol the mostly empty area.

With residents gone, garbage service suspended last week and fire burning through their habitat, bears dug through the resort town's trash cans and broke into homes in search of food. They were spotted in homes, at gas stations and outside grocery stores. Neighborhoods were littered with trash and bear break-ins, which have long been a problem in this area and are common this time of year, rose significantly with dozens of homes and vehicles affected, the El Dorado county sheriff's office said.