Firefighters hold line in Foresthill after flare-up pushes Mosquito Fire past 50,000 acres
The Mosquito Fire erupted again on Tuesday afternoon, spreading toward Placer County towns that have been under mandatory evacuation orders since the middle of last week when the wildfire made its first explosive, destructive run.
Another huge pyrocumulus plume of smoke materialized within a matter of minutes, seen on AlertWildfire Network cameras near Todd Valley and Foresthill beginning around 2:15 p.m.
The fire was rapidly spreading toward the north just before 3 p.m. amid the sudden, major flare-up. Aircraft mapped a large spot fire, which crossed the Middle Fork of the American River, at more than 300 acres around 4 p.m.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office at 3:30 p.m. ordered new mandatory evacuations north of Foresthill, for areas north of Yankee Jims Road and south of Kings Hill and Big Dipper roads, bound to the west by the North Fork of the American River.
Multiple large aircraft are making retardant drops along Foresthill Road at Worton’s Market, Cal Fire crews said in radio dispatches. Meanwhile, ground resources are beginning a firing line operation to hold the blaze at Foresthill Road from Mosquito Ridge Road to Worton’s Market.
A wall of smoke was seen at 4:30 p.m. south of Worton’s Market and Foresthill High School as aircraft lined up to make retardant drops on the area.
Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday evening reported the fire at 50,330 acres (78.6 squares miles), an increase from 49,761 acres reported Monday morning. Firefighters had increased containment to 25% from 18% reported in the morning update. There were 3,052 firefighters assigned to the wildfire.
Todd Valley and Foresthill have been under mandatory evacuation orders since last week during the wildfire’s initial sprint.
Scott McLean, a spokesman for Cal Fire, said the spot fire that broke out earlier in the afternoon was “bumping against” the town, and firefighters were concerned about reports that some residents of Foresthill had ignored the orders to leave.
“They have the right to stay, and the sheriff in both counties has made it very clear, (if) you leave your property in an evacuated area and the sheriff sees you, you will be escorted out or dealt with appropriately,” McLean said at Worton’s Market, an area at the top of a hill that fire raced toward. “We get it, we understand it. ... But the best thing to do is leave.”
One of the only residents who stayed behind was David Tachera, who said around 6 p.m. that two houses were damaged by flames but the town was spared as crews and aircraft held fire lines against the fast-moving flames.
“I got too much to save,” Tachera said in front of his home and RV when asked why he didn’t evacuate, though he did send his 76-year-old mother to safer ground. “Besides this house is pretty safe. Metal roofs. Asbestos siding.”
Tachera had barely slept in days, he said, as he kept vigil on his house, watching the fire burn in the distance: “You should’ve seen it the other night. ... The whole sky was just glowing red.”
But as the fire turned north toward the town Tuesday afternoon, Tachera said he was ready: “Everybody else is gone. I got the Harley sitting, ready to boogie.”
But he said he wasn’t worried by the surge: “These firefighters have been kickin’ ass,” he said.
Landon Haack, a Cal Fire operations chief, said flames from the fire burning in El Dorado County moved back into Placer County, just south of Foresthill and Todd Valley. He said on Tuesday evening the firefighters, at the moment, had kept the flare-up contained south of Foresthill Road and east of a ridge just below Todd Valley. The flare-up had charred about 1,100 acres when authorities gave a community update at 7 p.m.
“They got a pretty significant firefight going on out there right now as we speak,” Haack said. “They’re trying really hard to hold that fire in that box right there.”
Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior specialist with Cal Fire, said the fire had been burning south of the Middle Fork of the American River earlier Tuesday. He said the twists and turns along the river channeled the southwest winds, creating swirls like an eddy to push burning material and embers into an up-slope run.
Pangburn said contingency lines had been in place near Foresthill in case the wind pushed the fire north, and there are plenty of fire crews and equipment in the area trying to keep the fire from making any further northward or westward expansion.
Back at the fire line, across from Foresthill High School, an open plot of land with 15 to 20 cars had been incinerated as firefighters worked to put out hot spots.
The trailer and a few structures also had gone up in the flames, said two businessmen who were surveying a property they said was used for a variety of firms.
Zac Middleton and Chase Dowling of the Tree MD tree service said a number of businesses on the parcel had burned, including an auto mechanics’ shed and numerous cars that were being worked on, a firewood storage area, and Middleton’s 1973 Ford F-100 pickup truck that he just restored.
“New motor, new tranny, new interior,” Middleton said as he pointed to the melted shell of the truck. “It sure didn’t look like that.”
The fire had been relatively tame over the weekend and on Monday amid calming weather conditions, but gustier winds developed midday Tuesday.
Officials on Tuesday morning had reported steady progress containing the Mosquito Fire, which is burning in Placer and El Dorado counties, with officials reporting “great strides” in containment on some sections of the fire.
Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday morning reported the fire at 49,761 acres (78 square miles) with 18% containment, up from 10% containment Monday morning.
Nearly 2,700 personnel are now assigned to the fire, which started Sept. 6 near Mosquito Road and Oxbow Reservoir inside Tahoe National Forest, in the Northern California foothills east of Sacramento.
The blaze has destroyed at least 46 structures, including homes. Damage assessment is ongoing, Cal Fire says.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office just after 2 p.m. Tuesday ordered a new mandatory evacuation order for Stumpy Meadows, a sparsely populated campground area east of Quintette.
Evacuation centers have been established at Sierra College, 5100 Sierra College Blvd. in Rocklin; the Cameron Park Services District, 2502 Country Club Drive in Cameron Park; and Green Valley Community Church, 3500 Missouri Flat Road in Placerville. The Cameron Park site is an overnight shelter.
11,000 remain under evacuation
The Mosquito Fire, which grew furiously in its first few days and created a large pyrocumulus smoke cloud that could be seen from the Bay Area last week, on Thursday jumped the Middle Fork of the American River, spreading south from Placer County into El Dorado County.
The jump prompted evacuation orders for the communities of Georgetown, Volcanoville and Quintette, all of which remain under mandatory evacuation orders as of Tuesday morning. The Foresthill, Michigan Bluff and Todd Valley areas in Placer County also remain evacuated.
In all, fire officials say 11,260 people remain under evacuation orders, with more than 5,800 structures still threatened. No injuries have been reported in the blaze.
Fire crews on Monday built containment lines in the Michigan Bluff area and along the Foresthill Road corridor, and are also working to pen in the fire’s southern flank to secure structures in Volcanoville and Quintette. Some homes were destroyed by flames last week in Volcanoville, during a roughly 5,000-acre initial run into El Dorado County that included spot fires on Volcanoville Road.
Weather over weekend helped firefighters
Calmer weather has helped moderate behavior on the Mosquito Fire since the weekend, but smoke, dry conditions and shifts in the wind have created some challenges. Heavy smoke has hindered air operations, including aircraft used to map the size of the fire.
An incoming, weak weather system was expected to clear out a smoke inversion layer, which would “provide the fire with more available oxygen for active burning,” Cal Fire and the Forest Service said in Tuesday morning’s incident update. That appears to have happened early Tuesday afternoon with the flare-up.
Cal Fire overnight was able to use a night-flying helicopter to assist with water drops, a resource made newly available last year in Northern California, where it was first used to fight the Caldor Fire, which also burned in El Dorado County.
Wind patterns, including the Delta breeze, have helped clear smoke out of the Sacramento region. A federal air quality map as of Tuesday morning showed some of the worst air pollution concentrated in Nevada County and in parts of Placer County north of Auburn, including Foresthill, Grass Valley and Nevada City.
Placer County health officials have extended a local air quality advisory through Friday, advising the public to avoid outdoor activity due to Mosquito Fire smoke.
Air pollution was minimal as of Tuesday morning in Sacramento County and the Roseville area, and “moderate” near Placerville. None of California was marked with “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” air quality conditions, according to the federal map.
Updates on other wildfires
▪ The Dutch Fire, a new vegetation fire in Placer County, ignited early Tuesday afternoon near Dutch Flat quickly spread to at least 25 acres. Evacuations were ordered for neighborhoods in the Dutch Flat area just north of Interstate 80, and I-80 was closed in both directions as crews battled the blaze. The evacuation orders were lifted at 5:15 p.m. and I-80 was reopened at about 6 p.m.
▪ The Mill Fire, burning near Weed in Siskiyou County since Sept. 2, has burned 3,935 acres (6.1 square miles) and was reported 100% contained as of Monday evening. Fire growth has been minimal for days, and crews continue to mop up as the post-fire response begins. All remaining evacuations were lifted Monday, Cal Fire said. Two civilians were killed in the blaze.
▪ The Mountain Fire, burning east of Gazelle in Siskiyou County, has charred 13,436 acres (20.9 square miles) since starting Sept. 2 several miles west of the Mill Fire. It was 70% contained, firefighters said in a Tuesday evening update, with no overnight growth observed. Seventy-five people remain under evacuation orders.
▪ The Fairview Fire, which has torched 28,307 acres (44.2 square miles) in Riverside County over the past week, is 62% contained. The remnants of Hurricane Kay helped firefighters. “Ample moisture” on Monday night helped humidity recovery, stalling fire growth, Cal Fire officials wrote Tuesday morning. The fire has killed two people, injured one and destroyed at least 21 structures, as well as more than a dozen outbuildings.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Firefighters hold line in Foresthill after flare-up pushes Mosquito Fire past 50,000 acres."
