Bears visit evacuated family’s home during Caldor Fire in Lake Tahoe, California

Video footage shows a mama bear sniffing around the porch as her three cubs trailed behind her

As the Caldor Fire continues to burn near South Lake Tahoe, in California, a furry family visited one evacuee’s home.

Video footage shows a mama bear sniffing around the porch as her three cubs trailed behind her. While two cubs appeared to run away from the porch after hearing a noise, one cub and the mother peeked into the house and sauntered across the area.

A doorbell camera captured the bear family on 2 September.

“We noticed the camera detected motion on the north end of the cabin. So we immediately tuned into the rest of our footage and found mama bear at our front door,” Azadeh Nolan, the homeowner, told Storyful.

When Ms Nolan saw the footage, she and her family tried to scare off the bear family.

“We know better than to encourage them, so locals know to scare them off and leave no food around,” Ms Nolan said.

Indeed, wildlife experts caution people against feeding animals human food because it can cause malnourishment or death, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Since South Lake Tahoe evacuation orders when into effect over two weeks ago, bears have taken advantage of the ghost town. Last week, two bears were spotted going through a trash can and another bear was seen trying to open a garage door.

Twenty-two thousand South Lake Tahoe residents were ordered to evacuate the area due to the Caldor Fire, but as crews stalled the fire from progressing, the evacuation was downgraded to a warning on Monday. Residents are now allowed to return home.

The Caldor Fire has burned through 216,646acres, has injured five people, and is 49 per cent contained. It’s part of a longer, more severe wildfire season because the climate crisis is driving hotter temperatures and drier conditions.