‘Starting to look a lot better’: Rain aids Mosquito fire battle, but brings flood, mudflow risk to firefighters
Updated: 6:02 p.m. CDT, June 21
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Updated: 6:02 p.m. CDT, June 21
LONG BEACH >> More rain should help firefighters battle the brush fire near Mosquito Lake that’s forcing many residents to leave their homes, while bringing danger of flooding and mudslides to those who remain, Long Beach Fire Chief Eric Jones said Thursday.
Jones said firefighters have “hit a little bit of a groove” in their efforts to control the fire, which has been burning since mid-morning, but the fire continues to grow.
“I wouldn’t put a ceiling on the amount of rain we’re going to get,” Jones said. “I think we’re starting to look a lot better.”
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The fire sparked by a downed power line in the Firestone area came from a private property owned by a single family member, said Michael Marley, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That caused the fire to spread through a brush corridor, and it’s now burning about 2 miles north of the town of Morro Bay, he said.
A state fire official said earlier this month that firefighters are dealing with a “hot spot” fire burning through a brush corridor near the home of one of the individuals blamed.
Jones said firefighting crews have received support from aerial tanker units and from Los Angeles County Fire Department equipment, using two helicopters.
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Jones said firefighters have a history of successful fire fighting, but the situation in the fire’s last few minutes might be a bit different, “because it had been so dry the past few days,” he said.
The fire, along with other brush fires through the area, have forced about 100 people to flee their homes in or near the fire area.
“They’ve been trying to get the fire