Much of Foresthill still looks good, but the firefight is still far from over.
FORESTHILL, Calif. — Smoke and charred tree trunks tell the story of the furious fight crews waged to save homes in Foresthill from the Mosquito Fire.
The wildfire burning in both Placer and El Dorado counties has burned more than 50,000 acres. While the fire is now at 25% containment, it jumped the river below Todd Valley before burning toward the Foresthill area Tuesday.
Houses and mobile homes are still standing at the “Y” of Foresthill Road and Mosquito Ridge Road. However, fire crews were busy combating flames earlier in an effort to protect places like Worton’s Market.
Part of those protection efforts included backburn operations by Cal Fire. It’s meant to reduce fuels and keep the fire from coming up the hill.
“It will back down toward where the head of the fire is to hopefully limit the further spread of the fire,” said Cal Fire spokesperson Tyree Zander.
However, not everything in the operation was left unscathed. Cars, trucks, a trailer and a number of vehicles in a car lot near Foresthill High School went up in flames and were left behind as burnt out shells. The school itself remained undamaged.
Also, along Foresthill’s historic business district, the western saloon style storefronts were still in good condition Tuesday night.
Much of Foresthill looks good, but the firefight is still far from over.
In the meantime, damage assessments will still take some time to complete as the story of how Foresthill and other mountain towns weather the Mosquito Fire is still being written.
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