Hazardous air affects Sacramento region as Mosquito Fire burns
Smoke from the Mosquito Fire burning in Placer and El Dorado counties is bringing hazardous air quality to parts of the Sacramento region on Sunday, according to Spare the Air.
WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH MOSQUITO FIRE BURNING IN PLACER AND EL DORADO COUNTIES FOR THE FIRST TIME, FIREFIGHTERS HAVE SOME CONTAINMENT. THIS IS TIME LAPSE VIDEO NEAR FORESTHILL. OVER THE LAST HOUR, YOU CAN SEE THE FIRE STILL PUTTING UP A LOT OF SMOKE THIS EVENING. THOUSANDS OF HOMES STILL THREATENED AND THERE IS STILL A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE STEEP TERRAIN. AN ELDERLY COUPLE WAS SAVED EARLIER TODAY FROM VOLCANO VILLAGE ROAD AND WE WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT IN JUST A SECOND. WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO METEOROLOGIST DIRK VERDOORN FOR A LOOK AT THE CONDITIONS THERE RIGHT NOW. YEAH, WHAT’S INTERESTING IS WE SEE THE CLOUD COVER AND THERE’S SOME ACTIVITY GOING ON IN THE SIERRA. SO THAT’S A SIGN FOR BETTER CONDITIONS THAT THE CLOUD COVER MEANS COOLER TEMPERATURES, HIGHER HUMIDITY, AND THOSE ARE ALL WELCOMED THINGS FOR FIREFIGHTERS IN THAT AREA. BUT IT DOES KIND OF STIR UP MAYBE THE WINDS A LITTLE BIT MORE. BUT LET’S GO INTO THAT AREA AND SEE THAT WE HAVE CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CALM LATELY. THIS IS FROM A STATION AT THE FORESTHILL. WE HAVE SOUTHWEST WINDS THAT ONLY ONE MILE PER HOUR. AGAIN, NO GUSTS OF WIND, JUST VERY LIGHT WINDS. TEMPERATURE OF 84 DEGREES. AND HUMIDITY, THOUGH, STILL VERY DRY, 17% HUMIDITY EVEN WITH THE CLOUD COVER, IT FEELS A LITTLE MUGGY. BUT YOU CAN SEE THE EXTENT OF THIS FIRE HAS MADE ITS WAY FROM FORESTHILL TOWARDS VOLCANO VILLE AND ALL THE WAY DOWN PASS THROUGH OVER IN AREAS UP PAST MICHIGAN BLUFF AND FURTHER NORTH ALONG FOREST HILL ROAD. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT HAS GROWN TREMENDOUS SLEEP OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS AND PRODUCING A LOT OF SMOKE. SO HERE’S A LOOK AT THE AIR QUALITY. CURRENTLY, WE’RE LOOKING AT LEVELS THAT ARE UNHEALTHY. GRASS VALLEY, NEVADA CITY, ALSO FROM ABOUT COLFAX UP PAST ALTA AND ON YOUR WAY TO DONNER SUMMIT. THAT’S WHERE YOU SEE THOSE LEVELS OF POLLUTANTS IN THE AIR, THE SMOKE THAT’S IN THE AIR AT HIGHER LEVELS AND ALSO FROM SOUTH LAKE TAHOE TOWARDS KIRKWOOD AND BEAR VALLEY. WE SEE THIS ALSO IN THROUGH NEVADA, CARSON CITY AND TOPAZ LAKE AREA. SO THERE’S A LOT OF SMOKE THAT’S BEING PRODUCED AND THAT SMOKE HAS BEEN PUSHED UPSLOPE OR UP THE MOUNTAIN, UP THE SLOPE OF THE SIERRA AND TOWARDS THE TAHOE BASIN. SO THAT’S WHERE IT’S BEEN GOING SO FAR TODAY. BUT AS WE GO THROUGH THE NIGHT, WE SEE THAT THE WINDS RELAX AND THE AIR KIND OF SHIFTS AND WE GET THAT FLOW COMING DOWN THE SLOPE. IT’S NOT GOING TO GO TO TOO LOW OF ELEVATIONS, BUT WE WILL SEE IT KIND OF SPREAD OUT THROUGH CALAVERAS COUNTY AND INTO TUOLUMNE COUNTY IS WHERE WE’LL SEE SOME OF THAT SMOKE DEVELOP AND THEN IT’LL EXTEND ALSO UP IN THROUGH SIERRA COUNTIES, PLACER COUNTIES IN NEVADA COUNTY AS WELL AS YUBA COUNTY WILL BE SEEING SOME OF THAT SMOKE IN THICKER CONCENTRATIONS. AND THEN AS WE GO THROUGH TOMORROW, WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE WINDS AGAIN, PUSHING EVERYTHING BASICALLY OFF TO THE EAST AND TO THE NORTHEAST. SO THAT’S THE KIND OF HE PROGRESSION THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE AS FAR AS THE WEATHER IS CONCERNED AND THOSE WINDS. NOW BACK OVER TO ORKO MANNA, WHO’S UP IN PLACER COUNTY WITH MORE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON THERE. YET DIRK. RIGHT NOW, WE JUST GOT TO FORESTHILL AND IT’S PRETTY QUIET UP HERE. A LOT OF PEOPLE TAKING THOSE EVACUATION ORDERS VERY SERIOUSLY WHERE WE ARE, WE CAN SEE THAT SMOKE THAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT. WE ARE JUST A LITTLE BIT A WAYS FROM WHERE THE FIRE LINES ARE. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THICK GRASS SMOKE BECAUSE OF THE FIRE. AGAIN, A…
Read More: Check air quality in Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado counties