Rain helps Mosquito Fire, but brings risks of floods, slides
FORESTHILL (CBS13) – The rain could be the break Mosquito Fire crews needed since battling flames early September.
The latest update shows the fire has not grown in size since Sunday It is still at 76,290 acres, while containment is at 39 percent.
The timing is ideal, but if there is a downpour, trouble could be around the corner for firefighters.
Anywhere where the vegetation has been burnt completely away is where crews would see the debris and ash flows as the rain hits those areas basically creating a mudslide, said Bud Englund, a public information officer for the Mosquito Fire.
Crews also find themselves fighting the Mosquito Fire in rugged and steep terrain that is currently muddy and slippery. The National Weather Service predicts periods of heavy rain are possible over burns scars and warns people to remain vigilant.
Meanwhile, it also issued a flash flood watch over the area through early Wednesday morning.
Still, fire officials say crews and equipment are focused on the eastern side of the fire. On Michigan Bluff Road in Foresthill, the fire is out but there is still plenty of work as contractors hurry to remove hazardous trees and limbs near PG&E's powerlines and equipment.
On the other side of town, firefighters are conducting a different operation: creating a shaded fuel break.
"By the time we leave, you can't even tell we've been in here," said Shawn Goetz of Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue. "What we're doing is removing the ground fuels which allows the fire to travel with less intensity."
The work means future fires coming from either the south or west are expected to travel slower into communities.
Crews are removing some trees while using a machine that is mulching up the ground which allows native grass to grow later.
Whatever the operation, crews are taking advantage of their latest resource found in the rain before a warming trend moves in later this week.