Winds drive Dixie Fire putting more structures at risk; burns 721,298 acres, 37 percent contained
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 08/22/2021 - 10:53am
The Dixie Fire burning near Susanville was 721,298 acres and 37 percent contained on Sunday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fire has destroyed 1,247 structures.
The fire remained active for most of the night, with increased humidity in the early morning hours having slowed fire activity. Active ground fire remained but did not threaten control lines, according to Cal Fire.
On the east flank of fire, increased winds were out of the west and southwest with gusts up to 30 mph. The fire moved to the eastern edge near Milford, crossing the line with winds that quickly drove the fire towards structures.
Crews, equipment, and engines were in place to protect the community and minimize impacts. Assessments are ongoing, according to Cal Fire.
Firefighters Sunday will continue to reinforce the lines and work to minimize any spread towards Milford. On the west side near the Janesville Grade, firefighters will use direct dozer lines to hold the fire perimeter in place.
Spot fires continue to created challenging conditions. The southern edge continues to back down to the north end of the Walker fire scar, where crews are reinforcing the line at Boulder Road. In Genesee Valley firefighters continue to do structure prep and point protection as the fire continues to challenge the Genesee Valley Road.
Priority areas include structure protection in Janesville and Milford areas, the Highway 36 corridor, and the Mill Creek drainage. Fire is well established in the Mill Creek Plateau. Continue direct and indirect line construction to prevent the fire from crossing the Mill Creek drainage and impacting the communities of Mill Creek and Mineral.
See Cal Fire here and InciWeb here for the latest updates on the Dixie Fire.
The following is from InciWeb:
Fire crews Sunday will construct direct and indirect line to secure fire perimeter. Direct line construction in the Westwood area will require a heavy resource presence.
Fire agencies will provide for service calls within communities impacted by the fire: Chester, Hwy 36 corridor, Hwy 89 Corridor, Hwy 395 corridor, Paxton, Greenville, Jonesville, Crescent Mills, Taylorsville, Prattville, Canyondam, Butte Meadows, Bucks Lake, Meadows Valley, Rush Creek, Warner Valley, Pecks Valley, Williams Valley, Hunt Canyon, Susanville, Janesville, and the Greater Almanor area.
Structure protection and heavy mop up continues in Warner Valley, Cradle Valley, and Wilcox Valley. Protect threatened areas of Janesville, Indicator Peak and Loan Peak. Heavy mop and patrol of communities impacted by the fire front. "Make Safe" for repopulation. Resources will be working from Dyer Mountain east to Mountain Meadow Reservoir utilizing direct line to complete action in that area.
Continued holding action and point protection of communities and critical infrastructure will require a significant resource presence for the next several operational periods. Continued mop up of and patrol of 1,000-hr fuels will require a significant amount of resources due to the volume of fuels and the steep and rugged terrain.
Priority areas include structure protection in Janesville/Milford area, the Hwy 36 corridor, and the Mill Creek drainage. Fire is well established in the Mill Creek Plateau. Continue direct and indirect line construction to prevent the fire from crossing the Mill Creek drainage and impacting the communities of Mill Creek and Mineral.
If the fire were to become established in the Mill Creek drainage, additional fire spread could exceed 100,000 acres. Continue holding actions along Highways 395, 89 and 36.
Resources have been surged to the Genesee Valley area to protect the community of Taylorsville and limit spread from spot fires and active flanks.
Watch for updates as more information becomes available.
