Mosquito Fire burning near Oxbow Reservoir in Placer County tops 1,200 acres and is 0% contained

PLACER COUNTY – The fast-spreading Mosquito Fire burning in Placer County has grown to over 1,200 acres.

The Mosquito Fire started Tuesday next to the Oxbow Reservoir and quickly spread overnight. The fire was at 1,203 acres and 0% containment around 11 a.m. Wednesday. In nearby El Dorado County, the sheriff’s office is warning residents of the fire and has issued evacuation orders.

Volcanoville (Residents who live north of Wentworth Springs, east of Otter Creek, South of the Placer County Line, and west of Tunnel Hill Road), Michigan Bluff north to Foresthill Road, east to Flight Strip, and west to Bath Road are under an evacuation order.

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), Bath Road west to Todd Valley and north of Foresthill Road to Elliot Ranch is under an evacuation warning. 

An evacuation center has been set up at Bell Road Baptist Church (77 Bell Road in Auburn), Foresthill Veterans Memorial Hall (24601 Harrison St, Foresthill), and Cool Community Church (863 Cave Valley Road, Cool). Animals can be taken to Placer County Animal Services Center at 11232 B Avenue in Auburn. 

So far, no structures are threatened.

Oxbow Reservoir is located 69 miles northeast of Sacramento, just five miles east of Foresthill in the Tahoe National Forest. It’s at the top of the middle fork of the American River, just upstream from the famous whitewater rapids called the “tunnel chute.”