Firefighters are facing more dangerous windy weather as they struggle to keep the Dixie Fire away from more Northern California mountain communities. The blaze has scorched more than 900 square miles since it began more than a month ago. (Aug. 17)
Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent new fires from igniting if gusts damage power lines.
Firefighters faced dangerously windy weather Tuesday as they struggled to keep the nation's largest wildfire from moving toward a Northern California city and other small mountain communities. Forecasters issued red flag warnings of critical fire weather conditions including gusts up to 40 mph (64 kph) from late morning to near midnight. The warnings came after the Dixie Fire grew explosively from winds spawned by a new weather system that arrived Monday afternoon.
Thousands of Northern California homes were threatened Sunday by the nation's largest wildfire and officials warned the danger of new blazes erupting across the West was high because of unstable weather.
(Reuters) -Strike teams battling a mammoth wildfire displacing thousands of northern California residents braced for a resurgence of high winds on Monday, as the state's largest utility warned widespread precautionary power shutoffs were likely this week. The so-called Dixie fire has blackened nearly 570,000 acres (230,670 hectares) of drought-parched timber and brush in the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of San Francisco since erupting on July 14, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Roughly 15,000 additional structures were listed as threatened on Monday, and nearly 28,700 people were estimated to be under evacuation orders, said Jim Evans, a spokesman for the Dixie fire incident command.
State and federal resources could help turn back the fire and protect the people who have already been forced from their homes.
Firefighters battling flames in Northern California forests girded Monday for new bouts of windy weather, and a utility warned thousands of customers it might cut their electricity to prevent new fires from igniting if gusts damage power lines. Conditions that suppressed the huge Dixie Fire overnight gave way in the afternoon to gusty winds that pushed flames through an area where drought and summer heat have turned vegetation to tinder. Bulldozers had cut fire lines in the path of the northward-trending blaze but “a lot of our lines are getting tested now," fire spokesman David Janssen said.
The Dixie Fire in Northern California had reached 604,511 acres (about 945 square miles) in size by Tuesday morning, August 17, fire officials said.Officials said the fire burning across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, and Tehama counties was 31 percent contained as of August 17. More than 5,900 units were assigned to the fight the fire.Footage shared by CZU firefighter Brittany Strohmayer shows operations outside of Westwood on August 15. The town of Westwood had been placed under evacuation orders on August 5. Credit: Brittany Strohmayer via Storyful
About 6,500 acres have burned, according to authorities, who added that there was no containment.
Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire in Northern California have been observing a bear cub they believe has been orphaned by the blaze. They’ve notified other authorities to take what action they can to save the bear. (Aug. 16)
COVID-19 cases had the biggest increase in Sonoma County, California, and Whitman County, Washington, sites of the Glass Fire and Babb-Malden Fire.
The Dixie Fire in Northern California had reached 604,511 acres (about 945 square miles) in size by Tuesday morning, August 17, officials said.This video taken by atmospheric scientist Neil Lareau shows flames illuminating the sky in Northern California on Monday night, August 16. New mandatory evacuation orders were issued in Lassen County on Monday as the fire continued to grow.Officials said the fire burning across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, and Tehama counties was 31 percent contained as of August 17. Credit: Neil Lareau via Storyful
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