FORESTHILL, Calif. — Firefighters made progress against the Mosquito Fire that was still growing and threatening thousands of mountain homes on Sunday.
The Mosquito Fire in the foothills east of Sacramento has burned 48,700 acres as of Cal Fire's most recent update Monday. Officials confirmed that 25 homes have been destroyed in the fire along with 21 minor structures.
The latest National Fire Situational Awareness map shows the fire moving to the east.
More than 5,800 structures in Placer and El Dorado counties were under threat and some 11,000 residents of communities including Foresthill, Volcanoville and Georgetown are under evacuation orders.
Crews spent Monday strengthening control lines around the fire, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures, higher humidity and the inversion layer in the area.
However, dry fuels caused fire activity to remain active along the eastern front of the fire, officials said in a news release. While the area east of the fire includes burn scars from the American and King fires, there is still a large area of unburned forest between them which could be susceptible to the fire, so crews built indirect control lines to help the firefight.
Containment lines to the south of the fire along Volcanoville Road are holding, and crews strengthened the remaining control lines in the area to increase containment on the fire, officials said.
Cal Fire officials also said during a Monday evening news conference firefighters were able to come off Buckeye near Georgetown and push the ongoing Mosquito Fire toward the American River.
Firefighters also continued northeast to mop up the fire past Foresthill and Michigan Bluff. There, the fire remains "pretty active," according to Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Ernie Villa.
Once firefighters were able to address its priority of protecting the structure-rich area near Foresthill, Villa said, more set out east to address the wildfire in both its northern and southern sections.
Fire behavior analyst Jonathan Pangburn said an increase in winds and airflow Tuesday and Wednesday is good for residents in Foresthill, Volcanoville and Quintette, but it could also lead to an uptick in fire behavior.
► Scroll down for evacuation maps and other fire resources.
PHOTOS: Scenes from the Mosquito Fire
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Throughout the evacuation zone, deputies are conducting 24/7 patrols to make sure people don't get through these roads who shouldn't. On Saturday, a person was arrested for burglary after posing as a PG&E contractor.
The Mosquito Fire’s cause is under investigation. Pacific Gas & Electric said unspecified “electrical activity” occurred close in time to the report of the fire on Tuesday.
Stay Informed
Live Evacuation Maps
Placer County Sheriff's Office evacuation map (You need to click the "I Understand" box to use the map):
El Dorado County Sheriff's Office evacuation map (You need to click the "I Understand" box to use the map):
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Evacuation Centers
Evacuation centers:
- Rocklin: Sierra College at 5100 Sierra College Blvd
- Cameron Park: Cameron Park Services District at 2502 Country Club Drive
- Overnight shelter, meals, showers, limited health services, and parking for trailers will be provided. Animals in crates and carriers will be accepted.
- Placerville: Green Valley Community Church at 3500 Missouri Flat Rd.
- No Large animals or no birds. Limited RV parking and no hookups
For large and small animals:
- Nevada County Fairgrounds on 11228 McCourtney Road, in Grass Valley Check-in at Gate 8
- Placer County Animal Services Center at 11232 B Avenue in Auburn
- No birds/chickens due to avian flu
- El Dorado County Animal Shelter 6435 Capitol Avenue, Diamond Springs
- Rancho Murieta Equestrian Center, 7200 Lone Pine Dr, Rancho Murieta
- Must call first: (916) 985-7334
- Large animals only: Flying M Ranch, 82 Carefree Way, Oroville
Fire Map
This map from the National Interagency Fire Center shows fire activity (this may take a few seconds to load):
Road Closures
For a Waze map with current road closures, click here.
WATCH MORE: How fire crews were able to protect Foresthill:
