Mosquito Fire Burns Large Stretch of Western States Endurance Run Course
Image: gilitukha, Adobe Stock
Almost 20 miles of the Western States Endurance Run course has burned in what the New York Times is calling the largest wildfire in California this year.
This map update is at 9/14/22 at 7:10 am. WS trail in purple. Current #MosquitoFire in orange, 2013 American Fire scar in brown to the northeast of Devil's Thumb. Waypoints are our aid stations. Trail now effected between before Devil's Thumb (~47 mi) and past Cal 1 (~66 mi). pic.twitter.com/F7UxvRbPyx
— Western States 100 (@wser) September 14, 2022
As of September 16, 2022 the Mosquito Fire has burned 69,908 acres and is 20 percent contained. You can view the current status of the fire, along with up-to-date evacuation orders and resources on fire.ca.gov. Scientists warn that as the planet grows warmer, extreme weather events like this will multiply and intensify.
In one study, scientists point out that the burn area in California alone to have increased fivefold between 1972 and 2018. The scientists attribute much of the increase to human-fueled climate change.
A fire on the course of one of the most important events in trail running highlights the ever-growing impact of climate change on outdoor athletes.
