Massive Mosquito Fire explodes to largest in U.S. California this year

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A fast-moving wildfire, dubbed the Mosquito Fire, has burned more than 64,000 acres (259 square km) as of Thursday morning, becoming the largest wildfire so far this year in the western U.S. state of California.

The massive wildfire, actively burning in Northern California's Placer County and El Dorado County, has scorched 64,159 acres (259.64 square km) with only 20 percent containment so far, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

The Mosquito Fire, first reported on Sept. 6, has destroyed 70 structures, damaged 10 structures and is still threatening over 9,200 structures, Cal Fire said in its latest update.

The explosive wildfire has prompted the evacuation of more than 11,000 people. California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for the two counties last Thursday due to the Mosquito Fire.

More than 3,050 emergency personnel are continuing their efforts against the massive wildfire. Fire officials pointed out that the vegetation in the area consists mainly of brush and timber, and the landscape in most places is very steep and rugged.

"Overnight, smoke settled back into drainages due to easing winds, with a majority of the fire area seeing good humidity recovery. Firefighters continued working throughout the night, patrolling, mopping up, and securing control lines around the south and east sides of the fire," said Cal Fire in its latest situation summary.

"Crews and heavy equipment, including a large number of dozers, continued constructing indirect lines adjacent to steep and rugged terrain to the east of the main firefront," the agency added.

Officials noted that numerous evacuation orders and warnings are still in effect for both Placer County and El Dorado County.

The Mosquito Fire overtook the McKinney Fire, another blaze that is burning in northern California near the California-Oregon border, to be the largest wildfire of 2022 in the state. CAL FIRE data showed that the McKinney Fire has burned 60,138 acres (243.37 square km) with 99 percent containment to date.

Officials have identified four people killed in the McKinney Fire and confirmed at least 185 structures were destroyed by the blaze.

According to the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), a total of 50,691 wildfires have burned 6,717,555 acres (27,185 square km) in the country so far this year.

"This continues to be above the 10-year averages of 43,087 wildfires and 6,019,333 acres (24,359 square km) burned," said NIFC in its national fire news update on Thursday, adding that more than 20,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents across the western states.

California has especially experienced devastating fire activity over the past years. Many of the largest wildfires, including the top five, in the Golden State's history have happened in the past few years amid severe drought.

"California continues to experience longer wildfire seasons as a direct result of climate change," said CAL FIRE in its 2022 Fire Season Outlook, noting that "continued dry conditions, with above normal temperatures through spring, will leave fuel moisture levels lower than normal, increasing the potential for wildland fire activity."