Mosquito Fire, 2022
The Mosquito Fire started east of Foresthill on September 6, 2022, and burned 76,788 acres in Placer and El Dorado counties. The Forest Service's initial assessment places its start in the area of a PG&E power line, and no finding on the cause has been published.
- Where
- Placer and El Dorado counties, starting east of Foresthill
- Utility
- PG&E
- Record
- Under investigation
- Started on
- Line not stated
- Acres burned
- 76,788
Sources: CAL FIRE; PG&E Corporation, filed with the SEC
- Days to containment
- 46
Source: CAL FIRE
- Structures destroyed
- 78
- Deaths
- None
Under investigation
No finding on the cause has been published.
The U.S. Forest Service's initial assessment is that the fire started in the area of PG&E's power line on National Forest land. As of PG&E's 2025 annual report, the cause was still under investigation by the Forest Service, the Justice Department and the CPUC.
Line not stated
The sources we found do not say whether it was a transmission or a distribution line.
Under investigation. The Forest Service took one of PG&E's transmission poles and its equipment.
What happened
- Started
September 6, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., at Mosquito Road and OxBow Reservoir.
Source: CAL FIRE
- Contained
October 22, 2022, after 46 days.
Source: CAL FIRE
- Damage
78 structures destroyed and 13 damaged, with no deaths or injuries, by the Forest Service's incident summary as PG&E reports it.
- Evacuations
Placer County lifted all its evacuation orders at 5 p.m. on September 21, 2022.
Source: InciWeb (U.S. Forest Service)
The investigation
- Evidence
On September 24, 2022, the Forest Service removed and took one of PG&E's transmission poles and its attached equipment.
What it cost
- PG&E's own estimate
PG&E has recorded an aggregate liability of $350 million, before recoveries. That is PG&E's accounting estimate, not a finding.
- Lawsuits
About 35 complaints for at least 2,939 individual plaintiffs. PG&E settled with five public entities in January 2026.
- Firefighting
CAL FIRE sued PG&E on August 21, 2025, for its suppression and investigation costs.
Not published
We looked for these and found no source that publishes them:
- A finding on the cause
- How many people were evacuated
- Insured losses for this fire