New wildfire spreading in central California mountains
- The Mosquito Fire has now swept through a vast area in the Sierra Nevada range northeast of San Francisco in just four days
- Officials said that fire – which came amid a ferocious heatwave – had claimed two lives and destroyed 20 buildings
California’s latest wildfire has spread rapidly in the US state’s central mountains, just as firefighters were bringing a big blaze south of Los Angeles under control, authorities said Sunday.
The Mosquito Fire has now swept through an area of more than 41,000 acres (16,600 hectares) in the Sierra Nevada range northeast of San Francisco in just four days, the official Cal Fire website reported.
Cal Fire said the blaze, covering parts of El Dorado and Placer counties, is just 10 per cent contained.
It said while cooler temperatures – following more than a week of blistering heat – had somewhat slowed the fire’s progress, stronger winds were pushing it to the north and northeast, threatening hundreds of homes.
With the small town of Foresthill facing a growing threat, “several more evacuation orders and warnings have been issued,” Cal Fire said.
The towns of Georgetown, Volcanoville and Bottle Hill were ordered to evacuate earlier, the daily Sacramento Bee newspaper reported.