Wildfire updates: Dixie Fire swells to over 600,000 acres; Caldor Fire growth explodes
Multiple wildfires exploded in size across Northern California headed into Tuesday morning, as forecasters issued red flag warnings and warned of critical fire weather for much northern portion of the state.
Thousands of fire personnel continue to battle the month-old Dixie Fire, which is burning primarily in Butte, Plumas and Lassen counties. The blaze has burned 604,511 acres (944 square miles), with containment stalled at 31%, Cal Fire reported in a Tuesday morning update. It is California’s second-largest wildfire ever recorded.
The fire grew 35,000 acres between Monday and Tuesday as it expanded north deeper into Lassen County. The Lassen County Sheriff’s office issued a series of new evacuation order through the day, most recently for the Janesville area west of Highway 395.
In a Tuesday morning incident report, Cal Fire said winds Monday created “intense fire activity” across the blaze. Winds were sustained throughout the day between 15 and 25 mph.
And officials reported Tuesday morning sustained wind at the blaze would continue creating “critical fire weather” that could lead acreage to explode through the day. A red flag warning is in effect for the area through 11 p.m. Tuesday evening.
“Current Red Flag conditions are creating extreme fire behavior on the Dixie Fire,” Cal Fire’s Lassen-Modoc Unit wrote in a social media post early Tuesday morning. “Do not hesitate if told to evacuate.”
The Dixie Fire has destroyed close to 1,200 buildings, at least 635 of which were homes, according to Cal Fire. It largely leveled the town of Greenville earlier this month.
A sprawling list of evacuation orders remains, largely in Plumas County but also areas of Lassen and Tehama counties. Voluntary evacuation warnings are in effect for some Butte County communities. Lassen Volcanic National Park in Shasta County is closed.
As the fire expanded through the day Tuesday, officials issued a new evacuation order in an area east of Highway 395 near Milford. The Bureau of Land Management also closed the Bizz Johnson trail in Susanville.
Detailed information on evacuation zones and closures is available via Cal Fire’s incident webpage.
The Susanville Police Department issued a news release Monday telling residents of the city “to be alert and be ready to evacuate in the event that the Dixie Fire threatens the City of Susanville.”
No formal evacuation warning or order has been issued for the city of about 15,000 people, which is the seat of Lassen County.
The National Weather Service Tuesday morning issued a red flag warning set to be in place from 5 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, covering much of the northern Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills, including sections of Butte and Plumas counties.
In response to the gusty conditions, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. issued a warning Sunday night saying it may black out power Tuesday to homes and businesses in parts of 16 counties. As of Tuesday morning, the utility company estimated that as many as 48,000 homes and businesses could be affected, primarily in Butte and Shasta counties.
The Dixie Fire’s cause officially remains under investigation, but PG&E in a filing to state regulators acknowledged the involvement of their equipment, writing that an employee spotted a “healthy green tree” leaning up against a conductor on one of the utility company’s power poles.
No fatalities have been reported in connection with the Dixie Fire. At least three first responders have been injured, Cal Fire says.
More than 5,900 firefighters are assigned to the incident.
Caldor Fire
The Caldor Fire, burning in rough terrain in Eldorado National Forest, grew over nine times in size Monday, destroying structures in some areas and prompting urgent evacuation orders Tuesday morning for Sly Park, Grizzly Flats and Happy Valley.
Officials reported Tuesday afternoon the blaze spanned 30,000 acres and was 0% contained.
The fire spanned just 754 acres Monday morning, after sparking Saturday in the Middle Fork Cosumnes River Canyon, about four miles south of Grizzly Flats. But gusty conditions Monday dramatically increased fire activity, pushing the blaze in multiple direction and causing officials to issue multiple evacuation orders through the night.
“Extreme fire behavior was observed overnight causing immediate mandatory evacuations in the area and structure loss was observed,” wrote Cal Fire in a Tuesday morning incident report. “The actual number of destroyed/damaged structures is undetermined as fire conditions are not yet safe to bring in damage assessment teams.”
Cal Fire reported a “continued threat to structures” Tuesday, especially in the areas of Omo Ranch and Grizzly Flats, as the fire rages on under red flag conditions.
“The fire continues to pose a high risk to multiple populated communities,” Cal Fire wrote. “Additional evacuations orders are anticipated.”
The Sacramento Bee confirmed Tuesday the fire burned homes to the ground in Grizzly Flats. The post office and Walt Tyler Elementary School were also destroyed.
The fire is burning Thursday afternoon toward the populated areas of Sly Park and Pollock Pines, a town with over 7,000 residents. Around 10 a.m. Tuesday officials issued an evacuation order for Sly Park and at 1 p.m. they issued an evacuation order for a section of Pollock Pines.
Mandatory orders are also in place for parts of Barney Ridge, Leoni Meadows, Pi’Pi Valley and areas surrounding Omo Ranch. A voluntary evacuation warning is in place for the Omo Ranch community.
242 personnel are fighting the blaze. Cal Fire said Monday they were “stretched due to staffing shortages and other fire incidents.”
Trinity County wildfires
Two large fires in Trinity County that ignited during a late July lightning storm continue to burn and prompt evacuation warnings: the Monument Fire and the McFarland Fire.
Shasta-Trinity National Forest officials as of Tuesday morning reported the Monument Fire at more than 119,280 acres with 10% containment. The blaze grew 23,000 acres between Monday and Tuesday as containment remained stagnant.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for numerous communities: Junction City, Red Hill, Canyon Creek, Coopers Bar, Big Bar, Del Loma, Big Flat, Helena, Cedar Flat and Burnt Ranch. As the fire expanded Monday, Trinity County officials issued a new evacuation order for the area of Oregon Summit west to Junction City.
In preparation for rapid expansion Tuesday, Trinity County officials also issued a large-scale evacuation warning for an area that includes the towns of Weaverville, Douglas City and Hayfork. The towns are home to over 6,000 residents.
The McFarland Fire also flared up significantly Monday, with the fire expanding over 16,500 acres throughout the day. Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning the blaze now spans nearly 69,000 acres. Containment is at 51%, down 17 percentage points from Monday morning.
As the fire grew rapidly through the day Monday, it prompted new evacuation orders in the area of Highway 36, Pettyjohn Road and Canon Road. Evacuation orders are also in place along a stretch of Highway 36 near Platina.
Highway 36 is closed between Highway 3 and Bowman Road.
The Forest Service says at least 11 people have been injured by the McFarland Fire.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 8:19 AM.
