A sheriffs deputy in California drove into the raging Mosquito Fire on Sunday to help evacuate an elderly couple and their two dogs after their vehicle was disabled.
A video shared by the El Dorado County Sheriffs Office shows the deputy driving through the fire line to reach them on Volcanoville Road. Thick smoke makes visibility difficult, but small flames can be seen along the sides of the road.
As the deputy drives farther into the fire, more flames can be seen, consuming trees and grasses along both sides of the road.
“Before being able to drive out, the fire jumped to both sides of the road,” the sheriffs office said in a statement. “Visibility was low several times with active fire all around. At one point the low visibility forced the deputy to stop with flames touching the vehicle, fortunately the winds blew the smoke away in time for the deputy to drive to safety.”
The sheriffs office said the couple and their dogs are all safe.
The Mosquito Fire is the largest active wildfire in the state, burning northeast of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It has burned 49,761 acres since it began on Sept. 6, and is 18 percent contained, according to the latest update from Cal Fire on Tuesday. Forty-six structures have been destroyed so far, and thousands of people have evacuated.
