Dry Lightning In Forecast Sparks Concern In Sierra

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A forecast for thunderstorms has the National Weather Service issuing a fire watch for the mountains.

Possible dry-lightning strikes that could spark wildfires.

The U.S. Forest Service is monitoring the wildfires from an El Dorado County command center in Camino, where staff watch a network of live cameras they control remotely, scanning for signs of fire.

The "Tahoe Alert" camera network was created by the University of Nevada in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. The live pictures from the cameras can be seen by the public at any time.

The cameras can zoom in to show fires hundreds of miles away.

Besides bracing for lightning strikes this week, the U.S. Forest Service is also positioning two CL-415 firefighting airplanes into the area.

The planes can scoop water from lakes while in flight and perform drops on wildfires.