Winds fuel Dixie Fire to more than 678,000 acres, advances east toward Highway 395
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 08/18/2021 - 4:38pm
UPDATE THURSDAY: The Dixie Fire burning in northern California is now 678,369 acres and is 35 percent contained, according to the latest from InciWeb.
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The Dixie Fire burning in northern California and advancing toward Highway 395 is now more than 635,728 acres and is 33 percent contained as of Wednesday, according to InciWeb and Cal Fire. The fire has destroyed 1,208 residential and commercial structures.
The Dixie Fire started July 13. The fire is burning on the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and in four counties: Butte, Lassen, Plumas, and Tehama.
Go here for the latest evacuations and road closure information from CAL Fire.
The following InciWeb update is from Wednesday morning:
Red flag weather and critically dry fuel conditions led to continued movement of the fire front to the east and south Tuesday afternoon and into the evening.
The fire crossed to the south side of Beardsley-Grade Road and quickly progressed towards Kessler Peak. Despite immediate engagement with all available personnel and equipment, crews were unable to hold the fire at Beardsley-Grade Road.
Wednesday's operational plan is to continue improving the dozer line on the ridge west of Kessler Peak that was initiated last night. Crews and equipment will be constructing line to hold the fire to the smallest possible footprint, utilizing the road system above Genesee while tying the fire back into the Walker fire scar to the west. Structure preparation continues in the Genesee Valley and Taylorsville area.
In the Dyer Mountain area, resources continue to secure and mop up the perimeter line with 100 to 150-foot depth in most area. The fire is currently holding on Fruit Growers Boulevard, where firefighters continue to work on securing the line and mopping up. All lines at Keddie Point and into the North Arm of Indian Valley are holding and will continue to be patrolled.
The cold front passed over the East Zone of the fire at around 11 PM Tuesday night, causing winds to shift and come out of the northwest and then the northeast. Northeasterly winds are expected to persist today, with gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
East Zone: Dozers were utilized to expand containment lines as the fire continues to back down at Keddie Ridge. Tactical firing operations were also conducted to reduce the threat to structures along Keddie Ridge and in Indian Valley. The afternoon peak in fire activity led to additional resources being assigned in and around Wilcox Valley.
Due to the fire intensity there, firefighters were forced to pull out from direct attack but continued to construct indirect lines. The fire continues to slow down in the limited available fuels of the Sheep fire scar. Control lines are being constructed across the fire scar, connecting from Hamilton Mountain to near Lone Rock. Hoses are being added to the lines around Dyer Mountain as an additional tool in securing containment.
Dixie Fire West Zone: Shifting winds continued to challenge crews as short to mid-range spotting caused continued growth. Dry, cooler air pushed by east winds allowed the fire to burn throughout the night, with minimal recovery of humidity into the early morning hours. The fire growth continued to challenge control lines throughout the night. Damage assessment is ongoing, and the number of damaged and destroyed structures may change as teams are able to access the fire area safely.
Meanwhile, California's largest wildfire is being fought by 6,041 firefighters. Among them is a Battalion 51 crew from Carson City Fire Department. Currently, Carson City Fire Department has 8 firefighters assigned to 3 different fires.
