Updated Sept. 18

The first evacuation orders for the Mosquito Fire have been lifted as the activity moves away from the Sierra Nevada communities on its west and south edges, said officials of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

By Sunday, the Sierra Nevada wildfire was at 74,748 acres (117 square miles) with 34% containment.

With the lifting of orders for the Georgetown area, the evacuation zone covers about 460 square miles in Placer and El Dorado counties.

Mosquito last week became the biggest California fire of the wildfire season when it passed the McKinney Fire, which burned 60,138 acres in Siskiyou County last month.

With control lines protecting the communities of Foresthill, Todd Valley, Georgetown, Volcanoville and Quintette, firefighters are turning their attention to the north and east sides of the perimeter, in less populated areas. Defensive firing operations are burning narrow strips along Foresthill Road, Deadwood Road and 11 Pines Road to set up a buffer against advancing flames.

The fire started on Sept. 6 near Oxbow Reservoir. It is moving northeast, and two areas of its perimeter have reached the footprints of the 2014 King Fire (97,717 acres) and the 2013 American Fire (22,407 acres), where the reduced fuel is a boon to fire management efforts.

The map above shows evacuation areas in pink. More details about evacuations, including areas under warning, can be found on the maps maintained by the sheriff’s offices at these links: Placer County and El Dorado County.