Here's how bad Tahoe air quality got because of Tamarack Fire smoke FacebookTwitterEmail A scorched car rests on a roadside as the Tamarack Fire burns Saturday in Markleeville (Alpine County). Smoke from the Tamarack Fire briefly made for very unhealthy air quality.Noah Berger/Associated Press Smoke from the Tamarack Fire drifted into the South Lake Tahoe area Sunday night, briefly worsening air quality before clearing up Monday, according to air quality data. On Sunday at about 6 p.m., the air quality was deemed “very unhealthy” with an AQI of 222 in South Lake Tahoe, according to AirNow.gov’s Fire and Smoke Map. A dark, smoky sky engulfed the South Lake Tahoe area, according to some social media posts.