Mosquito Fire latest: Firefighters save Forest Hill
FORESTHILL — Homes along Baltimore Mine Road and Mosquito Ridge Road survived quick-moving Mosquito Fire activity that increased Tuesday afternoon and into Tuesday night.
Hand crews went back in Wednesday to add depth to the fire line, which meant putting out hot spots that may be found in burned-out tree stumps.
In other parts of the town, like along Foresthill Road past Foresthill High School and the town's welcome sign, pink fire retardant could be seen on roofs, cars, and the road.
The line, built by fire retardant, was dropped to ensure that the fire Tuesday did not make its way over Foresthill Road.
"It looks like from what I see now, in this area, those firefighters did their job in here," said Bud Englund, the spokesperson for the Mosquito Fire.
Englund described the attack as an "army of firefighters" who responded to build dozer lines, hand lines, and lines with fire retardant from the sky.
Crews had already been putting in contingency lines in areas like Baltimore Mine Road, and when the weather contributed to increased fire activity, more support came to areas like it to assist and protect.
The aggressive firefighting efforts on Tuesday saved homes and the town of Foresthill, but the work is not done.
In the morning update for the Mosquito Fire, containment was at 20%, 60,000 acres were burned, 64 structures were destroyed, and ten structures have been damaged, with nearly 6,000 homes still in danger.
More than 3,000 fire crew members have responded to the California wildfire. The CBS13 crew heard and saw firefighters use chainsaws to remove trees that could be dangerous. Support from firefighters from Ventura and Oxnard could be seen along with a fire crew from Texas.
Fire officials and other county leaders are hosting a virtual community meeting at 7 p.m. nightly to share updated containment numbers as well as updates on the firefighting efforts.
These community meetings are virtual and streamed via YouTube.
