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Red flag warnings persist in parts of the West as dozens of large wildfires continue to burn homes and dry land.
A cold front bringing gusty winds and the possibility of thunderstorms is expected to sweep through parts of southern Montana and southern Wyoming on Sunday afternoon. Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 50 mph in some areas, while humidity will remain low – at just 12% to 18%, according to forecasts.
More than 100 large fires are currently burning in the West, the majority being located from northern California to western Montana.
The Dixie Fire, now the second largest fire in California history after having burned near the Feather River Canyon since July 13, had burned more than 463,000 acres by Sunday morning and was only 21% contained.
Firefighters had already made progress to contain the Dixie Fire, but the fire re-exploded after blowing containment lines last week under dangerous fire conditions. It has now destroyed 404 buildings as well as 185 other minor structures, damaged 27 structures and continues to threaten 13,871 structures.
More than 100 home-based sand businesses in downtown Greenville, Calif., About 150 miles northeast of Sacramento, were wiped out after dry, gusty conditions fueled the flames even more on Wednesday night.
Four people near the Dixie fire are missing, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Saturday. Four firefighters were injured on Saturday night as they battled the Dixie blaze after a tree branch fell and hit them, officials said.
The River Fire, near Colfax, Calif., Is now 56% contained after its explosion last week caused evacuations.
The McFarland Fire in Wildwood, Calif., Just north of the Mendocino National Forest, set ablaze over 30,000 acres and is 21% contained.
Six firefighters were injured on Friday as they battled the McFarland fire in the Shasta Trinity National Forest. The heat was so intense that some suffered first and second degree burns, officials said.
Places around the world like the western United States have become a “powder keg ready to burn with any spark,” George Stephanopoulos told George on Sunday “This week” Kristina Dahl, senior climate scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“All over the world, what we’re seeing is that very hot conditions tend to worsen drought conditions that places might experience,” Dahl said. “So you end up with a severe drought, associated with the drying out of the vegetation, and that vegetation then becomes fuel for fires. “
Michael Mann, director of Penn State’s Earth System Science Center, told Stephanopoulos that “dangerous” climate change has already happened.
“We can see the impacts of climate change now manifesting itself in real time on our TV screens and in our newspaper headlines,” Mann said. “… at this point it’s about how much we’re willing to let it go.”
The effects of the fires are also felt up to 1,000 miles away as smoke from the fires moves east with the jet stream. Air quality alerts were issued for nine states.
As of Saturday afternoon, Denver had the worst quality rank in the world, according to IQ Air, a data tool that measures and ranks air quality in cities around the world. Denver remained in second place Sunday afternoon.
Air quality was also dangerous in Utah, near Salt Lake City, prompting the National Weather Service to warn residents to stay indoors as much as possible.
Closer to the fires, white ash from the Dixie Fire was falling into the Lake Tahoe basin, SF Gate reported.
Residents of Sacramento said they saw hazy skies from the smoke as the weekend rolled around, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Air quality alerts have also been issued in southern California. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health alert on Saturday saying changing weather conditions will affect air quality in the area until Monday afternoon.
Experts have informed Bay Area residents that they can expect smoky skies and poor air quality for decades to come.
“I think residents of the western United States are just going to have to get used to smoky skies and poor air quality over the next few decades,” San Craig Clements, director of the United States, told ABC. Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University. Francisco KGO station. “These fires burn hotter, they burn more intensely and therefore, they create a lot of smoke and that could really impact communities. So we have to get used to it unfortunately.”
ABC News’ Brittany Borer and Jenna Harrison contributed to this report.
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