[ad_1]
The Dixie Fire in California became the largest wildfire in state history.
The devastating blaze now spans over 482,000 acres and is only 22% contained, with more than 5,100 staff working to fight the blazes.
FIRST TIME TO RETURN TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
The reason many consider Dixie the largest fire in state history is that the massive 1,032,648-acre August 2020 complex was a “complex fire,” made up of numerous fires started by the lightning.
Hunter McKee strokes Rosy after helping evacuate the horse to Lake Almanor as the Dixie Fire approaches Chester, Calif. On Tuesday, August 3, 2021. Authorities issued evacuation orders for the town earlier during the day as the dry and windy conditions led to increased fire activity.
(AP Photo / Noah Berger)
The Dixie Fire also overtook last year’s 379,895-acre Creek Fire, which was located in the state’s Central Valley farming region.
The cause of the Dixie fire is still under investigation – although Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) told regulators in July that the fire may have been started when a tree fell into a conductor at the top of a pole.
Deer walk past a building in Greenville destroyed by the Dixie Fire on Saturday, August 7, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif.
(AP Photo / Noah Berger)
On Friday, a federal judge ordered PG&E to provide details of the equipment and vegetation where the fire started on August 16.
The Dixie fire began on July 13 and eventually burned down the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, and Butte, Lassen, Plumas and Tehama counties, according to InciWeb.
HEAT WARNINGS AND ADVICE IN EFFECT IN THE UNITED STATES
The blaze, named after the road it started, merged with the July 22 Fly Fire as firefighters battled arid and hot weather and strong winds.
Four firefighters were injured in the effort and were taken to hospital after being struck by a fallen branch.
In Lassen Volcanic National Park, SFGate reported on Monday that the Dixie Fire had spread to more than 9,000 acres.
California Governor Gavin Newsom examines a burnt utility pole while examining damage from the Dixie Fire in Greenville on Saturday, August 7, 2021, in Plumas County, Calif. He is joined by the deputy chief of the Cal Fire area, Curtis Brown.
(AP Photo / Noah Berger)
The town of Greenville was virtually incinerated last week as fire ravaged the area. The forest fire resulted in multiple evacuations, damage to more than 600 structures and poor air quality for thousands of people.
Another 14,000 buildings were threatened on Monday in the northern Sierra Nevada and officials said damage reports were preliminary as assessment teams cannot enter many areas.
Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear Highway 89 after a burnt tree fell on the highway in Plumas County, Calif., Friday August 6, 2021.
(AP Photo / Noah Berger)
The state’s fire season is on track to overtake last year’s season, which was the worst in recent state history.
Heat waves and drought have made wildfires harder to fight each season in the western United States
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are now 108 large fires or complexes that have burned more than 2.3 million acres in the 15 states.
More than 25,200 wildland firefighters and 33 Type 1 and Type 2 incident management teams have been assigned to the incidents, and nearly 40,000 wildfires have burned more than 3.6 million acres this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link