Answering the Question: How Much Time Do We Have To Evacuate?

A Clear and Present Threat

Located near Lake Tahoe, an area with extreme wildfire risk, Truckee, California is a tourist hotspot that faces large population spikes coupled with limited evacuation routes. Due to constrained response capabilities and an ever-changing tourist population, public safety officials and town management had no way of determining the fastest evacuation response options when preparing for a natural disaster. 

In Fall 2022, the Mosquito Fire broke out less than 60 miles from Truckee, burning over 75,000 acres. With the fire rapidly approaching, Truckee had less than 72 hours to plan an evacuation.

First Responders and Ladris in Action

Using Ladris, the Truckee fire and police departments were able to respond to the threat of the Mosquito Fire with unprecedented speed, generating within hours an evacuation plan that could save tens of thousands of lives. Thankfully, the fire was contained before reaching Truckee, but the risk it posed demonstrated Truckee's ability to mount a rapid response when working in tandem with Ladris.

With simulations created in the Ladris evacuation software, Truckee was able to quantify the outcomes of tactical decisions made by operators on the ground. Truckee law enforcement, fire, and emergency management continue to access these modeled scenarios, using them to aid future mitigation efforts, including updating the town’s emergency plan and designing new egress routes.