Another wildfire in the state of California has burned thousands of acres as well as forced thousands of evacuations from homes in Placer and El Dorado Counties.
As firefighters slowly gain containment of the fire, more people are forced out of their homes to seek safety.
The Mosquito Fire started on Sept. 6 during the evening close to Mosquito Ridge Road on the north side of the Oxbow Reservoir, according to KCRA 3.
Foresthill is just over ten miles from the reservoir.
Georgetown is also being threatened by the quick moving flames.
As of 7 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2022, the fire has burned 46,587 acres.
The fire is now 10% contained.
No further evacuations have been issued, but there are 5,848 structures being threatened by the fire.
Those working to contain the fire have built control lines along Foresthill Road and in front of where the fire is heading.
The fire has produced a lot of smoke, limiting what air crews have been able to do, but the smoke helped keep the fire low.
Cooler temps are also helping crews to better contain the fire.
KRCA spoke to a spokesperson working on the incident.
“It is very hard to build a solid containment line on a fire in this kind of terrain,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesperson for the incident. “There are very steep canyons, steep slopes. It takes a very wide line.”
What damage has been done due to the Mosquito Fire wildfire?
The exact number of homes lost due to the fire hasn’t been shared.
KCRA 3 saw that homes were burned down on Michigan Bluff Road.
Many homes near Michigan Bluff, a historical district, are still intact.
Houses in Forest Hill and on Chicken Hawk Road appeared to be safe from the fires as well.
The goal is to contain the fire by Oct. 15.
This means there will be a perimeter around the fire to stop it from spreading, not that it will be fully extinguished.
11,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes due to the wildfire
According to SFGATE, 11,000 people have been forced to evacuate from their homes.
The smoke from the Mosquito Fire is so bad it can now be seen on the East Coast and in Northern Canada.
Those driving through the Sierra on Highway 80 are being warned of thick smoke.
This can cause quick changing visibility.
If you’re in the area and want more information on the fire, call 211.
You can view cameras in the area for wildfires here.
Clouds created have drawn the attention of scientists
The fire has created clouds as tall as 40,000 feet, according to SFGATE.
Scientists have turned their attention to the pyrocumulus clouds, which they’re calling plumes.
As the fire moved along, the cloud grew bigger.
One scientist, Alan Brewer, was able to take a plane and fly around the air to see the fire and what can happen from it.
Brewer works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as the NOAA.
“It really hit everybody in the plane pretty hard just how massive and destructive the fire was,” Brewer told SFGATE.
“It was like flying right alongside the wall of the Grand Canyon.”
These specific clouds are created out of wildfires.
The air around the fire gets hot and pushes smoke, ash, and moisture upward.
When the daytime temperatures are at their peak and the wind picks up, the cloud will appear over the fire.
In some cases, clouds have gotten so high the form ice crystals on their top layer because it’s so cold up there.
By Friday the clouds were gone after a drop in temperature kept the smoke closer to the ground.
Brewer belongs to a team of scientists studying fire and what happens in the atmosphere during the wildfire outbreaks.
The project is called the California Fire Dynamics Experiment.
By better understanding the behavior of the fires, they can improve models used to predict behavior of a wildfire.
These kinds of clouds as well as lightning and wind being part of the fires used to be uncommon, but it’s become more common due to climate change.
The dry forests are causing strong wildfires to happen more often, and become worse when they do.
Now, the fires are starting to feel normal for some.
Where to go if you’re evacuating from the Mosquito Fire wildfire
Placer County in California originally had a location in Auburn.
According to Fox 40, that spot has been moved to Sierra College located in Rocklin.
The cafeteria of the building is used for the center.
The address for the college is 5100 Sierra College Blvd.
There are showers, charging stations for electric devices, and areas for sleeping.
If you need to park an RV to evacuate in, you can still park it at the Auburn Regional Park Gym located at 3770 Richardson Drive in Auburn.
The park has remained open for parking, the bathrooms, and showers.
Since the start of the Mosquito Fire, there have been three evacuation centers set up.
After setting it up in Forest Hill, it had to be moved because the fire started to spread too close.
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, the center was moved to the Bell Road Baptist Church in Auburn.
Animal evacuations need to be brought to the Nevada County Fair Grounds which are located at 11228 NcCourtney Rd in Grass Valley.
Poultry is not allowed at the fair grounds to help stop the spread of avian flu.
Right now the Placer County Animal Services Center is full and no longer taking animals being evacuated.
The Mosquito Fire has caused hazardous air issues in other locations
KCRA 3 reports that the fire in El Dorado and Placer counties have brought hazardous air quality to areas in the Sacramento region over the weekend.
While wind helped make some of the air quality better, it was still bad in some places.
For today, the air quality is as follows:
- El Dorado: Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- Placer: Hazardous
- Sacramento: Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- Yolo-Solano: Moderate
The Foothills have suffered the most, but the Delta breeze should work to push a lot of the smoke back up the hill.
Anyone with breathing issues should avoid outdoor activity that could take long periods of time.
In order to filter out smoke particles, wear an N95 mask.
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Samantha edits our personal finance and consumer news section. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].