Thousands of California firefighters battled Wednesday to halt the advance of a fierce blaze creeping perilously closer to iconic Lake Tahoe. The edge of the Caldor Fire was less than 15 miles southwest of the lake, according to data from NOAA’s GOES satellite published by Google. The wildfire, which has gutted hundreds of homes, was tearing through timberland and was "knocking on the door" of the Tahoe Lake basin, California’s state fire chief Thom Porter said. The freshwater lake, with its stretch of picturesque beaches, crystal-clear water, rocky shorelines and stunning landscapes in the Sierra Nevada, is a popular destination. But on Tuesday, visitors were pelted by ash and a haze of suffocating air clogged the sky. The fire, which was 11% contained, has scorched 126,182 acres as of Wednesday, Cal Fire said. At least 461 homes have been destroyed and another 17,000 structures were at risk since the blaze started Aug. 14. On the western side of the fire, a dozen small communities and wineries were threatened, fire officials said. On the eastern side, crews bulldozed fire lines, opened up narrow logging roads and cleared ridgetops. “It’s the No. 1 fire in the country right now. … There’s dozens of crews and dozers and engines and others that are on their way right now,” said Jeff Marsolais, supervisor for the Eldorado National Forest. 📸 Rich Pedroncelli, @apnews #fire #wildfire #laketahoe #caldorfire #news #weather