Mosquito Fire

California’s largest fire of 2022, the Mosquito Fire, has burned over 75,000 acres in the Placer and El Dorado counties. The fire began on Sept. 6 and while the cause is still unknown, it has damaged 13 structures and destroyed 78.

While active for over two weeks, the fire is slowly being contained with the hard work of the firefighters and the help of an out of season wet storm that came the weekend of Sept. 17. On Friday, Sept. 16, the fire was only 20 percent contained. However, the combination of cooler temperatures and moisture saturation on Sunday, Sept. 18 increased the containment to an impressive 39 percent by Monday morning.

By Wednesday it reached 49 percent containment with the help of rains in the beginning of the week. As the warm weather returned on Thursday and through the weekend, there was concern for the possibility of returning fire activity. Despite the dry humanity the fire was able to reach 60 percent containment by Saturday, Sept. 24.

A state of emergency was issued by Governor Gavin Newsom in Placer and El Dorado Counties. According to https://www.ca.gov/, California has been given a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure there are proper resources to fight the Mosquito Fire. This grant provides funds to be quickly allocated to the communities affected by the fire.

The fire was managed by CAL FIRE, El Dorado National Forest, Foresthill Fire Protection District, Placer County Sheriff, and El Dorado County Sheriff for the majority of the incident. According to CAL FIRE 65 dozers, 80 water tenders, 32 crews, and 3,722 personnel were allocated for the fire. As conditions improved, the command was taken by California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 on Friday, Sept. 23.

Many homes in Placer and El Dorado county were given evacuation orders at the start of the fire. These included zones 1-12, 14, 21, and 22, as reported by InciWeb. In El Dorado, Volcanoville, Quintette, West Stumpy Meadows, Stumpy Meadows, Canyon Creek, Grey Eagle, Bald Mountain, and Georgeown were ordered to evacuate as well.

Due to over 11,000 residents displaced in the Mosquito Fire, evacuation centers were designated. The evacuation centers included Sierra College, Cameron Park Services District, and Green Valley Community Church. Additionally, animal evacuation centers were designated: Gold Country Fairgrounds, Diamond Springs Shelter, Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center, and Flying M Ranch.

However, as the fire continues to be contained, evacuation orders have been called off, allowing people to return to their homes. As of Wednesday, Sept. 21 all residents of El Dorado and Placer counties were able to return home with the lifts.

Damages of the fire are still felt by those affected in the two counties. Upon returning from evacuation, many Foresthill residents and business owners were without utilities. In Placer and El Dorado, citizens were able to review assessments of structures around the fire’s perimeter as completed by the Damage Fire Specialist and evaluate damages to their properties.

Although the cause of the fire has not been determined yet by CAL FIRE, Pacific Gas and Electric Company has been sued for alleged responsibility of the fire. KCRA 3 News’ article “PG&E sued over claims the utility was responsible for the Mosquito Fire” states that the lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco Superior Court on accounts of fire origination from PG&E’s “poorly maintained utility structure.”