Overall, there are 80 large wildfires actively burning across the US, according to the NIFC. Officials cautioned, though, that residents should be ready to leave again at a moment’s notice.Ĭal Fire Chief Thom Porter warned last week that California’s fire season is “far from over” and forecasters predicted dry and windy weather conditions will continue to create the ideal environment for wildfires to ignite and expand.
The flames prompted the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe late last month, but improving conditions allowed residents to return home about a week later. It measured 219,267 acres Sunday evening and was 65% contained, according to Cal Fire. The Caldor Fire in the Lake Tahoe region is the second-largest currently burning in the state. (Photo by Ty O'Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Ty O'Neil/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty ImagesĪfter losing their home to a blaze, they found refuge in a small California town. The Cause of the fire is under investigation though Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) equipment is suspected to have sparked it. GREENVILLE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - 0: Burnt debris seen on the road side in the town of Greenville after being decimated by the Dixie fire which has grown to over 500,000 acres. In the community’s commercial center at Main Street and State Route 89, nearly every business appeared to have collapsed or been gutted by the flames. Last month, the small community of Greenville, about 150 miles north of Sacramento, was all but wiped out by the Dixie Fire. So far, 1,329 structures have been lost to the flames, residential, business or otherwise. Evacuation warnings and orders are already in place in Plumas, Lassen and Shasta counties. While historic, the designation likely won’t change much for those whose lives are directly impacted by Dixie’s flames.
Dixie fire map update series#
The August Complex Fire began in August 2020 as a series of separate fires sparked by lighting that eventually morphed into the gargantuan blaze. If the Dixie Fire continues to spread as expected, it will become a “ gigafire,” a rare designation given to wildfires that consume more than a million acres.Ĭalifornia recorded its first gigafire last year as the August Complex Fire chewed through 1,032,648 acres and more than 900 structures on its march to becoming the state’s largest ever fire. That’s a growth of more than 60,000 acres in just a week. Hong/APĬalifornia's wildfire season is 'far from over' as multiple massive blazes rage, official warns "But (the Fly Fire) was quickly overtaken and there was never a need to break that up operationally," Foxworthy said. "It became part of the main fire fast enough.Trees scorched by the Caldor Fire smolder in Eldorado National Forest, Calif., Friday, Sept. Speaking hypothetically, Foxworthy said if the Fly Fire had been miles further away and grown to 50,000 acres, it's possible the Dixie Fire could've been deemed a complex. Forest Service defines it as "two or more individual incidents located in the same general area which are assigned to a single incident commander or unified command."Ĭalifornia highways affected by wildfires: Find out which North State roads are closedĭixie Fire updates: California's largest active wildfire grows overnight, now 25% contained The Cal Fire definition for complex wasn't immediately available, though the U.S.
Often, Foxworthy said complexes involve fires that might be further apart and may not physically merge. "That smaller fire didn’t necessarily reach those complexity levels to need to make it into a complex, and then was very quickly overtaken by the Dixie," Foxworthy said. Wildfire maps: See where California fires are burning with 6 online mapsĪir quality for the North State: How long will smoky skies cover Shasta County? Why not call it the Dixie Complex?įoxworthy said officials consider multiple factors when deciding to call a fire event a complex. He said it depends on the "overall complexity of the incident" taking things like geographic area and operational needs into account. He said higher-ups in Sacramento have been trying to work through the distinction themselves.įoxworthy said officials are considering putting an asterisk by the Dixie Fire on the list of the state's largest wildfires to let people know it's technically not a single fire. Robert Foxworthy said the agency has been getting numerous requests for clarification over the past few days whether the Dixie Fire is a single blaze. Since the Dixie Fire was not called the Dixie Complex, some took that to mean that the Dixie Fire had become the largest individual wildfire in the state's history.Ĭal Fire Capt. View Gallery: PHOTOS: Dixie Fire raging in Northern California
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