Wildfires in the west: As two California wildfires merge and small community threatened, firefighters face dangerous conditions

Over the weekend, two fires – the Dixie and Fly fires in northern California – merged in the Lassen and Plumas National Forests. The combination created the 15th largest fire in the state’s history and triggered evacuation orders for more than 7,800 residents in two counties, the spokesperson for the service bureau told CNN on Tuesday. emergency from California Governor Bryan May.

The amalgamated fire burned 198,021 acres and is 22 percent contained, according to Inciweb. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, which broke out on July 13.

Fires across the country have resulted in air quality issues, evacuations and property damage as a drought continues to hold much of the west in its grip. Air quality warnings were issued in 12 counties in Montana on Monday due to smoke issues. According to the NIFC, 19 major forest fires are currently burning in the state.

According to CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford, 18 million people are subject to a heat advisory, with heat indices above 100 degrees in several areas until at least Tuesday. The heat will continue to spread eastward, he said.

The heat only exacerbates the problems for those fighting the fires as well as those who stay put to protect their property from the flames.

“Stressful and frightening” situation

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Plumas County, Calif., On Sunday as the Dixie fire continued to spread.

But a man said he stayed to watch his animals and protect his land.

“It’s very stressful, scary sometimes. Last night… you could see the glow over that hill right there,” he said. “The fire department put it out, or knocked it over, where all of a sudden the glow disappeared, and I was just relieved.”

Video from Indian Falls, Calif., Taken by KCRA, shows smoldering earth, orange skies, and damaged cars and buildings.

Cappleman told the affiliate that conditions have deteriorated as thick, acrid smoke fills the sky and road closures prevent him from obtaining food for his animals.

“The smoke is acidic, it burns the lungs. It’s just that the oxygen level has gone down, it’s probably only about 85%,” he explained.

Community suffers significant loss in Dixie Fire

The fire engulfed much of Indian Falls, which lies along CA-89 in the Plumas National Forest in California, northwest of Reno, Nevada.

“It is safe to say that all residents of this small community have been affected by this fire,” Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns told CNN on Monday.

“We have not been able to make an actual assessment of this area, at this time, due to the active fires in the area as well as the dangers,” Johns said. “That being said, there has been a substantial loss of structure.”

The sheriff estimated that 18 of 25 full-time homes in Indian Falls were destroyed in the blaze.

Plumas National Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton said Sunday: “There are people who have lost their homes. These are real impacts in our community… They are family members, friends, some of them. ‘between them can be people who work on the line. “

The Dixie Fire’s range is enormous, with an outer perimeter around 82 miles long, according to Cal Fire Chief Mike Wink.

“It’s 80 miles from Chico to Sacramento, you have about 5,500 firefighters spread out from here to Sacramento,” he explained.

Firefighters struggling with dangerous conditions

Road closures have also been a problem as firefighters try to take advantage of the blazes.

The rugged terrain and extreme fire behavior created dangerous conditions for firefighters, including high-tech crews working on the Dixie Fire.

“Steep inclines, a lot of rolling material, a lot of falling dead trees, so I can’t stress enough the danger these firefighters face in trying to maintain that,” Burns explained.

He said crews must be methodical so as not to aggravate the fire with spots, that is, when a fire produces sparks or embers which are carried by the wind and start new fires.

“We want to go really slow because if you generate a lot of heat it will add to the spotting problem,” said Burns, adding that conditions are currently favorable to gain the upper hand as the winds remain calm.

“What we’ve seen is that even without a lot of wind, spotting is a problem,” Burns said. “The more heat you put in it, the farther those embers go. So using a low intensity fire in the absence of wind, which we have because it’s so smoky in here, the chances of us organizing these operations. flashbacks have a much better chance of success. “