Storm Watch: Debris flow mitigation efforts underway in Mosquito Fire burn scar
FORESTHILL – As a major storm travels across Northern California, firefighters remain on alert. There are concerns over debris flows in the burn scars following the Mosquito Fire.
Long before the first snowfall, the Cal Fire Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit braced for the moment.
"If we didn't have the burn scars, I think it would be just another rainy day," Chief Brian Estes said.
By now, crews are familiar with the steep rugged terrain.
The Mosquito Fire raged for 50 days while burning more than 76,000 acres.
As crews gained containment during the inferno, the agency told CBS13 it was also actively engaged with what it calls fire line suppression repair and activated WERT, short for Watershed Emergency Response Team.
"So, they're going to be water boring, doing erosion control, stabilizing those slopes so that we minimize any impact from heavy precipitation," Chief Estes said.
Meanwhile, Cal Fire keeps a close eye on another matter.
"The other thing we have to watch is the watershed and the impacts to the Middle Fork and the American River and Oxbow reservoir and the water delivery system and power generation system that could be impacted by debris flow," Chief Estes said.