By Xinhua
Los Angeles : Firefighters were battling to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 220 homes at the popular Lake Tahoe resort area in California, authorities said on Monday.
    The fire, believed to be caused by human activity, also charred nearly 2,500 acres of land, forcing the evacuation of about 1,000 residents in the area. So far, there was no report of injuries.
    Only less than 10 percent of the fire was contained up till Monday morning, said Lt. Kevin House of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.
    "This is far and above the biggest disaster that has happened in this community, I don't know, probably in forever," House said.
    More than 460 firefighters were battling the blaze, and House said he expected that number would double Monday with help from air tankers and helicopters.
    State and federal fire officials had warned of a potentially active wildfire season in the area following an unusually dry winter. The annual May 1 snow survey found the Tahoe-area snowpack at just 29 percent of normal levels, the lowest since 1988.