Mosquito Fire stops western progression, but east and northeast sides grow - now 46,587 acres

PLACER/EL DORADO counties, Calif. - The Mosquito Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe is now 46,587 acres in size and there is a containment line around 10 percent of the 80-mile perimeter.

During their nightly meeting Sunday, fire and law enforcement officials updated the community on the status of operations.

On the law side, the Placer County Sheriff's Office has arrested one person in the evacuated area, and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office has arrested seven. East arrested person was caught committing a crime against an evacuated property, the deputies said.

Westerly progress of the Mosquito Fire has been stopped at several key locations, including Foresthill. The fire did not progress much to the southeast on Sunday, but it did progress to the northeast and east because of the wind direction.

Fire Behavior Analyst Jonathan Pangburn said Sunday that a new air mass is coming into the region, primarily from the southwest which will move smoke out but also cause growth in the direction of the wind, the northeast.

He said the biggest threat at this time is dry fuel material, the critically receptive fuels.

Pangburn said the eastern side of the fire won't get the exact wind boost that the northeast side is getting, but there is still concern about growth.

Air Resource Advisor Lee Tarnay said the region is getting a shield of smoke in the morning, but once the southwest wind comes the smoke is blowing over into the Lake Tahoe Basin, Reno, and the Carson Valley. Tarnay said to expect the pattern to repeat itself as long as there are fire emissions.

The public can review the smoke outlook and current situation on https://fire.airnow.gov/. That website includes the smoke forecast and expected pattern so people can better plan their day. Zoom into the region on the map and there is a box around the fire area. Click on the upper lefthand corner of the box and the "smoke outlook" box appears. Select the city you are in.

Monday's forecast is "very unhealthy" which recommends everyone avoid all outdoor physical activity. The best time of day is likely early afternoon. The models are showing less afternoon improvement for Monday.

At this time, 2397 firefighting personnel are assigned to the Mosquito Fire.

Rick Young, the incident commander, said they have been implementing an aggressive full suppression action with the intent to get people back in their homes as soon as it is safe. He asked for patience as they tighten up the perimeter of the fire.

The fire started on Tuesday, September 06, 2022, at approximately 6:27 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.