Mosquito Fire west of Lake Tahoe prompts evacuations

UPDATE 9:00 a.m. Thursday: The Mosquito Fire burned actively overnight and is now 6,870 acres in size, with no containment. It is burning near Oxbow Reservoir, 3 miles east of Foresthill, in brush and timber in very steep and rugged terrain. The fire is under unified command with the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and Placer County Sheriff.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m. Wednesday: The Mosquito Fire is now 5,705 acres in size with no containment. Today the Mosquito Fire showed extreme fire behavior and growth, more than quadrupling in size. Assigned personnel continued to improve existing control line and build new control lines, and also assessed and prepared structures threatened by the fire. The fire is burning in extremely difficult terrain including steep canyons where directly attacking the fire can be difficult.

The weather in the fire area will continue to be extremely hot and dry overnight and into tomorrow. Combined with very low fuel moistures fire conditions are likely to replicate today’s behavior during the overnight period and into tomorrow’s operational period.

For an updated list of all evacuation areas, visit HERE.

The air quality in South Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley is now in the "unhealthy" range with an AQI index around 165.

UPDATE 5:00 p.m. Wednesday: The Mosquito Fire has almost doubled in size since this morning, and is now 4,223 acres in size with 0% containment. Air quality on the west shore of Lake Tahoe is now in the "unhealthy" range with the South Shore still in "moderate."

UPDATE 2:15 p.m. Wednesday: The Mosquito Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe is now 1,203 acres in size with no containment. The National Weather Service said westerly winds developing this afternoon will continue to push smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin. Air quality may suffer because of the smoke so keep an eye on AQI if sensitive to smoke.

The Mosquito Fire is continuing to exhibit extreme fire behavior with weather conditions today near record high temperatures, very low relative humidity, and critically low fuel moistures which will provide extreme burning conditions which are expected to allow the fire to actively burn, with the potential for spotting.

PLACER COUNTY, Calif. - There are current evacuation orders in two counties due to the threat from the Mosquito Fire, that started in Placer County near Oxbow Reservoir late Tuesday. The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time and it has burned 826 acres as of Wednesday morning. 250 personnel are assigned to the fire at this time. The fire is not in El Dorado County but precautions are being made.

Evacuation information from Placer County Sheriff:

Areas under an evacuation order: Michigan Bluff north to Foresthill Road, east to Flight Strip, and west to Bath Road Areas under an evacuation warning: Bath Road west to Todd Valley and north of Forest Hill Road to Elliot Ranch.

Shelter for Evacuees: Foresthill Memorial Hall Bell Baptist Church, 707 Bell Road, Auburn.

The Placer County Animal Shelter is accepting animals who have been evacuated. The address is 11232 B Avenue, Auburn

Please visit this link for Evacuation maps from Placer County: https://pcsogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=34e6172213b540c8b8b064d8a7da4f76&fbc...

You can also follow Placer County Sheriff on Facebook and Twitter for evacuation updates.
https://www.facebook.com/PlacerSheriff
https://twitter.com/PlacerSheriff

Evacuation Information from El Dorado County Sheriff:

A Temporary Evacuation Point has been set up at Cool Community Church at 863 Cave Valley Rd, Cool, CA 95614 as a place for evacuees to gather to determine their next steps. Information about emergency shelters will be available when secured.

Evacuation ORDER Boundaries (Volcanoville):

Residents who live north of Wentworth Springs, east of Otter Creek, South of the Placer County Line, and west of Tunnel Hill Road are under mandatory evacuation orders. Please evacuate the area immediately.

Evacuation WARNING Boundaries (Quintette):

Residents who live north of Wentworth Springs, east of Lofty Peak Lane, South of the Placer County Line, and west of Blackeye Pea Road need to prepare to evacuate if this warning becomes a mandatory evacuation. Please use this time to gather belongings and prepare. There will be deputies in the area going door to door to notify residents. Be prepared to evacuate if this warning becomes mandatory.

You can also follow Eldorado County on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eldoradosheriff