Threat from deadly Western wildfires persists
Alex Nelson monitors a backfire, flames lit by firefighters to burn off vegetation, while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Nelson is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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(NewsNation) — The deadly Fairview Fire that’s been burning in Riverside County, California, for nearly a week is now nearly half contained thanks to drenching rain from Tropical Storm Kay.
“And the rain that we have received has come in a nice steady rainfall as opposed to a heavy deluge,” said fire command meteorologist Matt Mehle.
According to a Cal Fire incident report Sunday, “Cooler temperatures and higher humidity assisted with moderating some fire activity,” but higher winds allowed the flames to push to the north and northeast.”
But now, there are some new concerns.
“You’ve got wetlands, you’ve got muddy areas, the traction’s really bad out there, you’ve got the possibility of falling trees and electricity that may have been affected,” said Doug Ulibarri of the Califoirnia incident management team.
The bigger incident now is the Mosquito Fire, which broke out Tuesday night and has already scorched nearly 42,000 acres — an area three times the size of Manhattan.
According to Mosquito Fire spokesperson Chris Valenzuela, the“fire is pretty much a wild animal, we can’t tame it, we can just try to control it and extinguish it.”
Containment is only at 10% and flames are still threatening almost 6,000 homes in Placer and El Dorado Counties. Over 11-thousand people remain evacuated.
Cal Fire expects it will take at least a month for full containment of the Mosquito Fire.
The blazes are among more than 90 active fires across the country, including in Montana, California and Idaho, the National Interagency Fire Center said
“I have a little anxiety, running around. The unknown is the hardest part. But I know a lot of people, especially in Michigan bluff, they lost a lot.” said Gary Magnesen who was evacuated due to the spreading flames of the Mosquito Fire.
There were 18 large fires burning in Oregon and Washington, leading to evacuations and targeted power outages in Oregon as the challenge of dry and windy conditions continued in the region.
In Oregon, the Cedar Creek fire has devoured over 50,000 acres in Lane County, forcing evacuations in two towns.
Like evacuees in California, many can only wait and wonder.
“Worried, scared to death that weren’t gonna have a home when we got back. And we still don’t know. We still don’t know,”said evacuee Derek Jones.
David Hance hugs mom Linda Hance outside a shelter for Mosquito Fire evacuees in Auburn, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. The two evacuated from their trailer near the Foresthill community. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Linda Hance, who evacuated from her home near Foresthill, hugs her dog Amigo outside a shelter for Mosquito Fire evacuees in Auburn, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
James Lowery sprays water around his friend’s restaurant as the Mosquito Fire threatens Foresthill in Placer County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
James Lowery sprays water on his friend’s restaurant as the Mosquito Fire threatens Foresthill in Placer County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Alex Nelson monitors a backfire, flames lit by firefighters to burn off vegetation, while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Nelson is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Alex Nelson monitors a backfire, flames lit by firefighters to burn off vegetation, while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Nelson is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
A firefighter monitors a backfire, flames lit by fire crews to burn off vegetation, while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Frefighter Davis Sommer lights a backfire to burn off vegetation while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Sommer is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Firefighter Matthew Gerzin of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew rubs his eye while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Frefighter Davis Sommer lights a backfire to burn off vegetation while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Sommer is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Firefighter Davis Sommer lights a backfire to burn off vegetation while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. He is part of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Pacific Gas & Electric firefighter Dave Ronco sprays retardant on a utility pole to protect infrastructure as the Mosquito Fire burns near Volcanoville in El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Pacific Gas & Electric firefighter Dave Ronco sprays retardant on a utility pole to protect infrastructure as the Mosquito Fire burns near Volcanoville in El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Pacific Gas & Electric firefighter Dave Ronco sprays retardant on a utility pole to protect infrastructure as the Mosquito Fire burns near Volcanoville in El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Firefighter Trapper Gephart of Alaska’s Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot crew takes a drink while battling the Mosquito Fire in the Volcanoville community of El Dorado County, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
A helicopter carries water on a longline to a wildfire near Salem, Ore., at sunset Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Climate change is bringing drier conditions to the Pacific Northwest and that requires strategies that have been common in fire-prone California for the past decade or more, said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky) 
Mary Ann Toms looks up a closed Highway 2 as she waits for her friend to return from Baring, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Gold Bar, Wash. Toms, who lives in Index, went to the Gold Bar grocery store to pick up sandwich fixings to make food for the firefighters working the Bolt Creek Fire. (Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times via AP) 
Matt Rodriguez, 48, coughs and rubs ash out of his eyes near Index, Wash., as the Bolt Creek Fire burns Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. He said he was worried about his father not being able to get back home due to road closures from the wildfire. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times via AP) 
Frank Fuller checks on his friend’s house in Baring, Wash., while he is away in Arizona during the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times via AP)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
