‘Dixie Fire’ destroys California’s gold town, forcing more evacuations

GREENVILLE, CA – California’s biggest wildfire of the year “catastrophically devastated” the gold-defending town of Greenville Wednesday night, then forced a national park closure Thursday as residents chased their homes through the northern Sierra Nevada region. The Dixie Fire, now the sixth largest in modern state history, has been burning for three weeks and has spread to Northern California’s Plumas, Butte, Lassen and Tihama counties. More than 100 homes have been destroyed in the area, Plumas County Sheriff Todd Jones said, and Tim Jones, the public information officer for Dixie Fire, told USA Today on Thursday that the fire’s growth on Wednesday was driven by high winds and fueled by dry fuel conditions. red flag. Jones said the extent of Thursday’s devastation would become clearer overnight. “In the morning we’ll have a better appreciation for that than the infrared flight we’ll be doing tonight,” he added, adding that Friday promises to be “another day.” And in the afternoon the spread of explosive fires. “Jones said that firefighters are unaware of any injuries at this time and that their main priority is to protect lives and structures ahead of the fire’s path.” What you can expect tomorrow is that the map of fires will look dramatically different once you put new growth on the map,” Jones said. “The other thing you can expect is that firefighters will remain with human life priority and do everything they can to stop this fire.” Drought Red flag weather conditions of high temperatures, low humidity and a stormy afternoon, with strong winds of up to 35 mph, were expected to be a constant threat through Thursday night. Trees, grass, and twigs are so dry that ‘if ember landed’ “You’re virtually guaranteed to start another fire,” said fire spokesman Mitch Mattlow. Indeed, hazardous conditions from the fire last Thursday forced the closure of Lassen Volcanic National Park, a 100,000-acre park about 130 miles north of Sacramento near the southern tip of the Cascade Mountains. Park staff have prepared buildings in the area over the past few days, but that may not be enough to save them. In Plumas County, park spokesman Kevin Sweeney said, “The fire is moving so fast and so hot, it’s a very dangerous situation.” It’s too soon to know how many acres have burned, he added, and it also led to another troubling round of eviction orders as the flames crept toward the communities of Chester, the Lighthouse Peninsula and the Hamilton branch. “If you are still in the area, you are in danger and should leave now!!” The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon. “If you stay, emergency responders may not be able to help you.” More than 26,500 people in several counties are on eviction orders. On Wednesday, the fire made its way through Greenville, leaving a trail of devastation in a downtown area marked by historic buildings built in the 19th century and throughout the 1949 gold rush. A gas station, hotel, and bar were among the many installations destroyed by the fire, the firefighter said. Volunteer Dan Kearns, said the winds came strong on Wednesday afternoon and blew up the Dixie Fire in the city under the kind of deadly conditions that have caused a widespread outbreak in recent years. Kearns said the damage to California communities, including Paradise, Reading and Shasta County. “I wouldn’t say ‘total destruction’ because not every building was destroyed. But the city was destroyed catastrophically.” On Thursday afternoon, spot fires were put out as thick clouds of smoke and ash floated into the air, and most buildings in the downtown area were destroyed, including the city library and the Indian Valley Community Center. Structures that remained included Greenville High School, a Plumas Bank branch, a General Dollar store and a grocery store. So was the little cafe, where only metal chairs and an oven remained standing in the cremated remains. “We lost Greenville tonight,” US Representative Doug Lamalva, who represents the district, said in a touching Facebook video on Wednesday. “There are no words.” With the north and east sides of the fire exploding on Wednesday, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office issued a Facebook post warning the town’s nearly 800 residents: “You are in imminent danger and must leave now!” But many of them were met by armed residents who did not want to leave. “Speaking of people dealing with evacuations … we have firefighters pulling their guns because people don’t want to evacuate,” said Jake Cagle, chief of operations. The growing fire, which broke out on July 14, has burned more than 361,812 acres, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Pacific Gas & Electric said it may have started when a tree fell on one of its power lines. It still has a 35% content. ‘It’s going to be a long ride’: Dixie Fire’s massive fusion with Fly Fire, and the tears of a small town as California burns. Fire records. Fifteen people died as a result of the North Pool, and Ken Donnell left Greenville on Wednesday, thinking he would return after a quick errand in a nearby town. He couldn’t get back with the flames raging. All he has now is the clothes on his back and his old truck, he said. He is quite sure that his office and home, along with the suitcase he prepared, are gone. Donnell remembers helping victims of the devastating 2018 Camp Fire, in which about 100 friends lost their homes. “Now I have a thousand friends who lose their house in one day,” he said. “We were all stunned.” Some of the evacuees went to shelters in the area, including Springs of Hope Church in the nearby community of Quincy. Reverend John Sturley said more than 40 people took refuge in the church, while others were living in their cars in the parking lot. About 100 miles to the south, officials said between 35 and 40 homes and other buildings burned in the fast-moving river fire that broke out Wednesday near Colfax, a town of about 2,000. Within hours, the fire had engulfed nearly 4 square miles of dry trees and bushes. There was no containment and about 6,000 people were under evacuation orders across Placer County and Nevada, according to Cal Fire, and about 150 miles west of the Dixie Fire, the McFarland fire that broke out with lightning threatened remote homes along the Trinity River in Shasta Trinity National Forest . The fire was only 7% contained after nearly 33 square miles of drought-hit vegetation burned, and similar weather was expected across Southern California, with heat warnings and warnings issued for inland valleys, mountains and deserts for much of the week. Historical waves and droughts linked to climate change have made wildfires more difficult in western America. Scientists say climate change has made the region warmer and drier over the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive, with more than 20,000 firefighters and support personnel battling 97 large, active fires covering 2,919 square miles. In 13 US states, the National Interagency Center for Firefighting said. Associated Press