Dixie Fire still raging as gusty winds bring threat of flareup
Major wildfires continue to burn actively in California, as forecasters warn gusty winds coming this week could produce yet another round of critical fire weather.
Thousands of fire personnel continue to battle the month-old Dixie Fire, which is burning primarily in Butte and Plumas counties. The blaze has burned 569,707 acres (890 square miles), with containment stalled at 31%, Cal Fire reported in a Monday morning update. It is California’s second-largest wildfire ever recorded.
The Dixie Fire has destroyed close to 1,200 buildings, at least 625 of which were homes, according to Cal Fire. It largely leveled the town of Greenville earlier this month.
A sprawling list of evacuation orders remains, largely in Plumas County but also in areas of Lassen and Tehama counties. Voluntary evacuation warnings are in effect for some Butte County communities. Lassen Volcanic National Park in Shasta County is closed. Detailed information on evacuation zones and closures is available via Cal Fire’s incident webpage.
Cal Fire officials in Monday’s situation report wrote that smoke activity helped dampen fire activity overnight, but that “an anticipated wind event” was expected Monday over the fire zone, where forecasts call for triple-digit heat combining with gusts up to 30 mph.
The National Weather Service also as of Monday morning had a fire weather watch — one step below a red flag warning — in place from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, covering much of the northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills, including most of Butte and
Plumas counties.
In response to the gusty conditions, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. issued a warning Sunday night saying it may black out power to as many as 39,000 homes and businesses in parts of 16 counties.
The Dixie Fire’s cause officially remains under investigation, but PG&E in a filing to state regulators acknowledged the involvement of their equipment, writing that an employee spotted a “healthy green tree” leaning up against a conductor on one of the utility company’s power poles.
No fatalities have been reported in connection with the Dixie Fire.