Mosquito Fire

Major fires in California, record heat waves only fuel it more.

Over the last few weeks, the Northern California Mosquito Fire has found its way into news headlines all over the country, though there are still many unanswered questions.

The Mosquito Fire started September 6th, 2022, and has burned 76,788 acres of land and counting. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet, though it is suspected that the fire started because of an electric pole. Lawsuits are flying towards the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) due to the supposed idea that their faulty equipment management caused this outbreak. This isn’t the first time PG&E’s power lines have caused trouble, in the past they've been responsible for over 1,500 fires. Currently there is a criminal investigation being conducted by United States Forest Service officials.

The fire has affected mainly El Dorado and Placer county, with approximately 11,000 people being displaced, and 90 who refused to follow evacuation orders. The fire has also had quite an effect on the surrounding area including Yolo, Solano county and the Sacramento area with the air quality dropping from good to moderate. The smoke resulting from the fire is thick enough to block solar radiation, which results in cooler temperatures. With fall on its way, these naturally cool temperatures have made the management of the fires run much smoother. As of September 30th, 2022, containment of the fires has gone up to 90%.

In November of 2018, the “Camp Fire” took the state of California by storm, destroying lives, homes, and land. It was the most devastating fire California had ever seen, burning over 150,000 acres of land, including almost 19,000 structures and resulting in 85 civilian deaths. While the mosquito fire isn’t nearly as bad in comparison, the Mosquito Fire burned around half the number of acres, however, containing the recent fire has been a lengthy process, more so than the one before; having taken 25 days to be approximately 90% contained. The Campfire was 100% contained after 17 days.

Comparing Fires

We can expect the Mosquito fire will not be spreading much more as it is almost fully contained, though the record heat that has occurred within the past couple wells has not helped. Even with the heavy rain that occurred last week, it wasn't enough to fully stop the fire, and although it helped a lot, scorching temperatures caused something called a “flash drying effect” by pulling the moisture from vegetation, including trees and grass which has increased flammability in dryer areas of land.

This is just one of the many, many fires that have been burning in California, including the Rodgers, Red and Summit Fire. There are many disaster relief programs being established for people affected by the fires. As well as financial aid provided by the California Fire Foundations SAVE (Supplying Aid to victims of Emergencies) program. Stay informed about where fires are and how they start, especially when living in an extremely susceptible area like California. Check out the San Francisco Chronicle's Fire Tracker here, and learn how to prepare for fires here.