Dixie Fire

Event Summary | Summary
Posting Date: August 9, 2021, 1:00:00 PM

The Dixie Fire ignited on July 13 near Cresta Dam Power Station in Oroville in Northern Callifornia, near where the 2018 Camp Fire originated. The fire progressed northeast and expanded in the Lassen National Forest, among tinder-dry conditions in the steep terrain of the Sierra Nevadas.

Aided by red flag conditions and shifting thunderstorm winds, on Wednesday, August 4, the fire engulfed the town of Greenville. It continued to grow the next day when CAL Fire said that they had seen a 151% increase in acres burned across California compared to this same time last year, and indicated the state's fire season may surpass 2020, which was the worst fire season in recorded state history. The Dixie Fire reached 432,813 acres by the morning of August 6. More moderate fire activity on that day and the next allowed firefighters to make some progress on containment, but they lost ground on August 8 when higher temperatures and gusty, southwest winds returned. Red flag conditions are forecast to continue throughout the week.

The Dixie Fire has surpassed the size of the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire (459,123 acres) and is currently second only in size to the 2020 August Complex Fire (1,032,648 acres). The Dixie Fire has burned across more than 489,287 acres, making it the largest active wildfire in the U.S., and the second largest in California's recorded history. The fire has destroyed more than 627 structures, and damaged more than 42 structures. Further assessments are ongoing and access to some areas is limited, according to local officials. The town of Greenville was engulfed by the fire on Wednesday, and officials estimated that 75% of the structures there had been lost to it.

Evacuations have been ordered across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, and Tehama counties. Nearly 14,000 structures are currently threatened, including the towns of Chester and Westwood. Containment is at 21% as of August 8. Firefighting aircraft have continued flying fire suppression missions as conditions have allowed and ground crews are working to hold established containment lines. While the fire has continued to grow toward the northeast in recent days, at the present time there is no immediate danger to any large areas of exposure, including Westwood and Susanville. That said, given the extremely dry conditions, the situation could change quickly. Current information for the Dixie Fire can be found on CAL FIRE.

AIR will continue to monitor the Dixie Fire.

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Posting Date: August 9, 2021, 1:00:00 PM