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Dixie Fire: Wildfire becomes third largest in state history
Four people remain unaccounted for after explosive growth by California's largest active wildfire forced new evacuations, authorities said.
As of Friday morning, the Dixie Fire had burned 432,813 acres and was 35% contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire grew by roughly 70,000 acres from Thursday evening into Friday, and the Lassen County Sheriff's Office has issued new evacuation orders.
The Dixie Fire is now the third-largest fire in California history and spans an area of 676 square miles, according to Cal Fire.
The Plumas County sheriff said over 100 homes in the Indian Falls and surrounding areas were reported destroyed.
The Dixie Fire tore through the small community of Greenville on Wednesday afternoon, destroying businesses and homes as the sky was cast in an orange glow. A gas station, hotel and bar were among many fixtures gutted in the town, which dates to California's Gold Rush era and has some structures more than a century old.
The fire "burnt down our entire downtown. Our historical buildings, families homes, small businesses, and our children's schools are completely lost," Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss wrote on Facebook.
The Plumas County Sheriff was one of the residents who lost his home in Greenville, he said in a Thursday evening briefing. He was a lifelong resident in the town.
"We lost Greenville tonight," U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who represents the area, said in an emotional Facebook video. "There's just no words."
Officials said several arrests were made because of people trespassing in evacuation zones in Westwood.
| VIDEO BELOW | Dixie Fire rages in Greenville
Lassen Volcanic National Park was closed Thursday because of the fire, Cal Fire said.
More than 5,200 personnel are assigned to the fire. Some 13,800 structures remain threatened by the blaze, Cal Fire said. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries.
| RELATED | Wildfire Map: Here's where California fires are burning
Dixie Fire battle and outlook
In the fire's west zone, Cal Fire said things "remained very active overnight with warm temperatures, poor relative humidity recoveries, and strong overnight winds fueling fire behavior." The fire continued to move toward control lines, but the fire agency said better relative humidity expected Friday could allow crews to make more progress on containment lines.
Meanwhile, on the east zone, flames reached the southern shore of the Mountain Meadows Reservoir.
"Priorities for wildland firefighters were preservation of human life and utilizing engines, hand crews and bulldozers to control spot fires in the Canyon Dam area, provide structure protection along the east shore of Lake Almanor, the community of Crescent Mills and the remaining homes in Greenville," Cal Fire said in its latest incident report.
Crews are also trying to protect "cultural resources, critical infrastructure, and private property in the path of possible future fire growth near State Route 44 around Peninsula Village, as far east as Greenhorn," the incident report goes on to say.
The blaze sparked July 13 north of the Cresta Dam, which is not far from where the 2018 Camp Fire northeast of Paradise claimed the lives of more than 80 people.
The blaze had already leveled more than a dozen houses and other structures when it combined with the Fly Fire and tore through the tiny community of Indian Falls in late July.
California has secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to help battle the wildfire, Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced.
Dixie Fire evacuation order information
Butte County
- The communities of Jonesville, Lake Philbrook areas and Butte Meadows
- Click here for more information
- Evacuation map
Lassen County
Plumas County
Road closures
Butte County
- State Route 70 at Deadwood Road — no eastbound SR70
- State Route 32 at Humboldt Road — no eastbound Humboldt Road
- Skyway at Humbug Summit Road — no northbound Skyway; no eastbound Humbug
Summit Road
Lassen County
- State Route 36 at County Highway A21 — no eastbound on SR36 and no southbound on A21
- State Route 44 and State Route 89 (Lassen Volcanic National Park Entrance)
Plumas County
- State Route 36 westbound at the Lassen/Plumas County line
- State Route 147 southbound at the Lassen/Plumas County line
- State Route 70 at State Route 89 (Greenville “Y”) — no westbound State Route 70
- Bucks Lake Road at Lower Big Creek Road
- Bucks Lake Road at River Dance — no southbound Bucks Lake Road
- State Route 89 at Stampfli — no northbound State Route 89
- State Route 36 at Delwood — no westbound SR36 or southbound Delwood
- State Route 44 at A21 — no westbound SR 44, no southbound A21
- Genesee westbound at Beckwourth Taylorsville Road
- North Valley Road northbound at Stampfli Lane
Shasta County
- State Route 44 and State Route 89 (Lassen Volcanic National Park Entrance)
Tehama County
- State Route 36 eastbound at Childs Meadows (Highlands Ranch Resort)
Click here for up-to-date state highway information
Shelter information
Plumas/Lassen counties
- Springs of Hope Church at 59 Bell Lane in Quincy
- Lassen Community College at 478-200 CA-139
- Lassen High School at 1110 Main St. in Susanville
American Red Cross Public Information Line: 855-755-7711
PG&E equipment may be involved in Dixie Fire start
Pacific Gas & Electric reported to California utility regulators that its equipment may have been involved in the start of the Dixie Fire.
The utility said in a filing in July that a repair person responding to a circuit outage on July 13 spotted blown fuses in a conductor atop a pole, a tree leaning into the conductor and fire at the base of the tree.
PG&E equipment has repeatedly been linked to major wildfires, including the 2018 fire that ravaged the town of Paradise.
| RELATED | PG&E equipment investigated as cause of Fly Fire in Plumas County
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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