Massive mosquito fire to become California’s largest wildfire by 2022
The Mosquito Fire became the biggest wildfire in California this year after growing more than 63,000 acres on Wednesday night, fueled by dry vegetation in an area cooling off after last week’s record heat. .
The the great fire has been burning for more than a week since it caught fire on September 6. It has spread over 14,000 acres since Tuesday. As of Wednesday night, the fire now covers more than 63,000 acres in El Dorado and Placer counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
While the fire subsided over the weekend, strong winds cleared the smoke and produced fresh oxygen for the firefighting act to operate on Tuesday night, Cal Fire said. Containment rate dropped from 25% on Tuesday to 20% on Wednesday.
Fire behavior at the eastern end is expected to increase as winds push fires to extremely dry fuel.
“We’re getting ready for an absolute blast here,” said Jonathan Pangburn, a Cal Fire fire behavior analyst. “Don’t need a lot of wind.”
The Mosquito Fire has surpassed the McKinney Fire to become the largest wildfire in California this year. The McKinney Fire has burned more than 60,000 acres in Siskiyou County and is now 99% contained.
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Hazardous Conditions in Northern California and Nevada
According to Cal Fire, more than 11,000 residents of communities around California have been evacuated due to the Mosquito Fire. The towns of Foresthill, Michigan Bluff, Georgetown and Volcanoville remained under mandatory evacuations as of early Wednesday.
According to Cal Fire’s most recent damage assessment report, the fire destroyed 64 structures and damaged 10 structures in Placer and El Dorado counties. More than 9,000 structures are at risk.
Smoke from the Mosquito Fire swept over Northern California, creating poor air quality in the region and Nevada.
Public school officials in Reno and Sparks, Nevada, closed most facilities for in-person instruction on Wednesday. Washoe School District officials cited current hazardous air quality, National Weather Service projections, and possible harm to vulnerable students and commuters. walk or bike to school.
The University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College also canceled in-person classes on Wednesday but said online classes and essential services would continue.
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Historical droughts, record heat waves create dry conditions for wildfires
A historic drought has affected much of the West, and recent sweltering heat waves have further dried the area’s vegetation. Extremely dry vegetation is known to be extremely dry fuel, and fire officials warn that these conditions can easily spark fires.
Pangburn recalled the King fire in 2014, where similar conditions occurred, and noted that firefighters were forced to use the emergency fire pit due to the fast-moving flames.
“Not wind events, just fuel that was prepared and ready, and decided to wake up in a hurry,” Pangburn said at Wednesday’s briefing.
Contribution: Associated Press