ROSEVILLE, Calif. – @the Grounds is serving as a CAL FIRE Base Camp for fire crews battling a fast-moving wildfire near the Auburn State Recreation Area about 30 miles away.
The Mosquito Fire started Tuesday afternoon and has burned more than 1,200 acres as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders and warnings to residents in Placer and El Dorado counties, according to CAL FIRE.
CAL FIRE established the Base Camp on Wednesday morning. The Base Camp will likely operate @the Grounds for a couple of weeks, said Kim Summers, interim Chief Executive Officer of @the Grounds and Placer Valley Tourism.
@the Grounds officials are notifying and rescheduling several upcoming events planned at the campus, including a race at the All American Speedway.
It’s the latest emergency effort for @the Grounds, which served as a COVID testing site during the early days of the pandemic and later as the largest COVID vaccination center in Placer County.
CAL Fire will use the entire @the Grounds campus, with the Roebbelen Center serving as a rest area for firefighters. The 160,000-square-foot building can accommodate several thousand people.
Johnson Hall has become a Command Center and a mess hall has been set up in Jones Hall. The Attaway Pavilion will serve as a debriefing area for firefighters.
The CAL FIRE Base Camp “just reinforces how important @the Grounds and the Roebbelen Center are to the community,” Summers said. “In a crisis, we are here to provide whatever is needed by the community and its residents.”
