Help victims of Mosquito Fire in Northern California: GoFundMe verifies these fundraisers
After a fire ignited Tuesday evening near the Placer County community of Foresthill, leaving thousands of residents displaced, GoFundMe created an online hub for verified fundraisers to help victims “rebuild and recover” from the blaze.
The fundraising website’s page, “How You Can Help: Donate to Northern California Wildfire Relief” lists 10 verified Mosquito Fire donation pages as of Monday afternoon and will continue to update as other accounts complete the verification process.
To verify an account, the company looks at banking information, according to its website. The site also requires government-issued identification, other forms of identification and an address. GoFundMe holds “all funds raised until the recipient is added to the fundraiser to withdraw, and their identity has been confirmed.
Since Tuesday evening, the Mosquito Fire has since burned at least 46,500 acres, displaced more than 11,000 residents and threatened more than 6,000 structures, according to CalFire’s Mosquito Fire incident update Monday.
The fire is at 10% containment as of Monday afternoon. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
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.
Verified accounts
A total of $17,892 has been donated to GoFundMe’s verified accounts, as of Monday afternoon, seeking monetary donations to rebuild from the Mosquito Fire in Northern California.
GoFundMe account, “Disaster relief for Tasha” has raised $1,605 since it posted Saturday. The organizer is asking for $10,000 to help family start over because their “home burned to the ground.“
GoFundMe account, “Jeremy and Sheri Van Wert wildfire recovery” has raised $5,510 since it posted Saturday. The organizer is asking for $10,000 to build a “recovery fund” for their friends.
Another account, ”Displaced by the Mosquito Fire, help Genie and Luna” has raised $240 since it posted Friday. The organizer is asking for $1,500 to help their friend pay for food and shelter.
“Help Julia start over” has raised $6,340 since it posted Friday. The organizer is asking for $10,000 to help their family “start completely over.”
GoFundMe will continue to update the hub page as more accounts are verified.
More wildfire fundraisers
GoFundMe also spotlighted verified fundraisers established to help those affected by the Mill Fire and the McKinney Fire in Siskiyou County.
In addition to its verified fundraisers, GoFundMe has its own campaign, “Wildfire Relief Fund 2022.” It was established to help Oregonians impacted by wildfires, according to an email from a company spokesperson.
“Funds raised will help a wide range of relief work from providing shelter, food and other needed supplies, to supporting long-term recovery and relocation efforts, and to fund firefighter training and resources as they work to contain these fires,” the fundraiser states.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Help victims of Mosquito Fire in Northern California: GoFundMe verifies these fundraisers."