Mosquito Fire

Mosquito Fire
A massive gray and white column of smoke, as if from an explosion, in a blue sky, viewed from the far side of a forested canyon.
A pyrocumulonimbus cloud rises from the Mosquito Fire on September 8, 2022
Date(s)
  • September 6 (6-09) –
  • October 22, 2022 (2022-10-22)
  • (47 days)
Location
Coordinates39°00′22″N 120°44′42″W / 39.006°N 120.745°W / 39.006; -120.745
Statistics[1][2]
Burned area76,788 acres (31,075 ha; 120 sq mi; 311 km2)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries≥2
Evacuated≥11,260
Structures destroyed78 (13 damaged)
Damage
  • $181.1 million
  • (equivalent to about $187.7 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseUnder investigation
Map
The footprint of the Mosquito Fire is shown in burnt orange, with a narrow end near Foresthill widening to the east as it spread into Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests. It butts up against the 2016 Trailhead Fire scar on its west side, the 2014 King Fire scar to its southeast side, and the 2013 American Fire scar on the northeast corner.
The footprint of the Mosquito Fire and several prior fires, west of Lake Tahoe in the Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests
A simple map of Northern California's county lines and adjacent state lines shows the Mosquito Fire's general location to lie roughly between the Bay Area and the state's corner at Lake Tahoe, in Placer and El Dorado counties.
A simple map of Northern California's county lines and adjacent state lines shows the Mosquito Fire's general location to lie roughly between the Bay Area and the state's corner at Lake Tahoe, in Placer and El Dorado counties.
The general location of the fire in Northern California

The Mosquito Fire was California's largest wildfire in 2022. The fire began on September 6, burned 76,788 acres (31,075 hectares) in Placer and El Dorado counties in September and October, and was pronounced fully contained on October 22. It affected the Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests and destroyed 78 structures in the rural communities of Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, and Volcanoville. The fire suppression effort cost more than $180 million, and at its peak involved more than 3,700 firefighters. The precise cause of the fire is not known, but the possible role of Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) equipment is the subject of multiple civil lawsuits and a Forest Service investigation. The Mosquito Fire was one of 7,477 wildfires in California in 2022, which burned a combined 331,358 acres (134,096 ha).

  1. ^ "Mosquito Fire Incident". Cal Fire. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mosquito Fire". InciWeb Incident Information System. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.