Northern California air quality update: What’s expected from Mosquito Fire on Tuesday?
A break from triple-digit heat last weekend improved Sacramento’s ozone pollution, but as the Mosquito Fire burns in the foothills east of the capital — residents should continue to be cautious of the area’s air quality.
Air pollution was recorded at “unhealthy” levels above Air Quality Index 160 as of 9 a.m. Tuesday in parts of Placer and El Dorado counties near the blaze, according to an online air quality map from the Environmental Protection Agency. Air pollution was recorded at “good” levels below AQI 50 in the Sacramento area, including Roseville, Citrus Heights, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay and Cameron Park.
Pollution is forecast to reach unhealthy levels at AQI 200 near Auburn.
“The main air quality impacts will continue to be due to wildfire smoke from the Mosquito Fire near Auburn,” AirNow wrote on its website. “The thickest areas of smoke will be in the foothills east and northeast of Sacramento, where particle levels will be ‘unhealthy’ to ‘hazardous.’”
Mosquito Fire update
The Mosquito Fire began Tuesday evening near the Placer County community of Foresthill.
The fire has since burned nearly 50,000 acres, as of Monday morning, displaced more than 11,00 residents and threatened more than 6,000 structures, according to CalFire’s Mosquito Fire incident update.
The fire is at 18% containment. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Even though cooler temperatures helped moderate the “extreme” flame, it spread toward the north and the east over the weekend, according to previous Bee reporting. The culprit: historically dry vegetation amid California’s drought.
Georgetown, Volcanoville and Bottle Hill were ordered to “immediately evacuate” Thursday afternoon as the Mosquito Fire jumped the Middle Fork of the American River and pushed into El Dorado County.
Evacuation orders are in place for residents both in El Dorado County and Placer County.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Northern California air quality update: What’s expected from Mosquito Fire on Tuesday?."