Traffic was backed up Monday afternoon for miles along Highway 50 as drivers were making their way out of the South Lake Tahoe area eastbound toward the Nevada state line to escape the encroaching Caldor Fire. CHP South Lake Tahoe officer Ruth Loehr urged those sitting in traffic to “have some patience. We’re doing all we can to open up another route.”“At this time eastbound 50 is the preferred route out of South Lake Tahoe,” she said. Loehr said to people who don’t have to be in the area: “Do not come up here. Do not come into the area. Do not come into any of the closures. They are closed for a reason.”She said CHP has a lot of units on roving patrol to protect against looting. “We have a lot of resources. We’re out there to try to keep the bad guys from doing bad things,” she said. Hours after everyone in South Lake Tahoe was told to evacuate, Loehr said she knows that people are “stressed.” “We are part of the community and we are just as concerned as everybody else is,” she said.With thousands expected to vacate the greater Tahoe area, westbound routes toward the Sacramento region are limited.A 40-mile stretch on Highway 50 remains closed in both directions from Sly Park Road in Pollock Pines to Meyers.Sunday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol also closed part of Highway 88 in both directions from Dew Drop Bypass to Highway 89. Caltrans tells KCRA 3 this is an extended closure. The agency is not clear when the road could reopen.For people hoping to leave the Lake Tahoe area and head westbound toward the Sacramento and Bay Area regions, Interstate 80 is the only option that is still open.--KCRA 3's Brittany Hope contributed to this story