Dixie fire becomes largest in California

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As the Dixie Fire becomes the largest wildfire in California this year, new questions are being raised about how officials will handle the Tamarack fire near the Nevada border.

In a letter to US Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, Representative Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) questioned why the Tamarack fire burning in the Humboldt Tuyapa National Forest was placed under a “watch state” for several days after its discovery.

“Why was this decision made?” McClintock Books. “What legal authority did I authorize [U.S. Forest Service] To allow this massive fire to ignite rather than an immediate complete suppression? “

The Forest Service said that as of Friday morning, the Tamarack fire had grown to 58,417 acres with just 4% contained.

Earlier this week, it swelled above the Nevada state line for the first time, and on Thursday afternoon, it lit a 2,500-acre fire near the still-growing Interstate 395.

In an update on the incident, Forest Service officials said the Tamarack fire started on July 4 after a lightning strike in the Mokelumne Wilderness “on a rocky summit with little fuel and natural barriers to fire spread,” and noted that there were several other high priority fires burning in it. the time.

“High winds caused a rapid ramp fire to spread,” the agency said on July 16, and “with this change in fire, resources were quickly dispatched to the site.”

More details on the fire management strategy are coming, US Forest Service spokeswoman Erica Hope said, noting that forest crews are currently still focused on managing the fire’s significant growth and protecting nearby communities.

The fire led to evacuations of residents in Alpine County and in Douglas County, Nevada. Evacuation warnings have also been issued in Lyon County, Nev.

“Our goal is to keep you fully informed of the fire activities and efforts to put out the fire as the incident progresses,” the Forest Service said.

However, even as trapped crews battle area fires, the Dixie Fire in Bute and Plumas counties continues to grow.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Friday, the fire swelled to 142,940 acres — a gain of nearly 30,000 acres overnight. It was only 18% contained, an official said. The fire has now surpassed the state’s previous largest fire, the 105,000-acre Bickworth Complex Fire, which is now almost completely contained.

The wind-filled embers of the Dixie Fire also ignited an instantaneous fire called the Fly Fire, which grew to 1,650 acres uncontained, leading to additional evacuations.

During a community briefing Thursday night, Cal Fire deputy incident commander Chris Waters said the Dixie Fire is unlike anything he’s experienced in more than two decades of fighting.

“The conditions for fire behavior that we are facing now are really quite unprecedented, and at historical levels,” he said, noting that the far-reaching spot fires — some as far as five miles — are “far beyond what I have seen in my career.”

He said the fuels, including dead and green plants, are at drier levels typically seen later in the year, releasing massive amounts of energy in the form of giant smoke plumes and pyrocumulonimbus clouds.

Conditions will only get worse this weekend, according to Dixie fire meteorologist Julia Ruthford.

Humidity levels hovering over the fire are already in the single digits, while wind gusts along the region’s high peaks reach 40 miles per hour.

“Over the past week, we’ve seen a very important mix of different fire components, and that trend continues,” said Ruthford. “Unfortunately, this critical pattern will continue and actually get worse over the next couple of days.”

This weekend fire crews will face drier conditions with temperatures rising by at least five degrees, Rothford said, noting that unsettled conditions will also allow plumes of smoke to grow higher as high winds advance on Friday and Saturday.

“I really wish I had better news to tell you about, something good to set expectations,” she said, “but it looks like we’re really looking forward to the next three very critical days.”

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for the Dixie and Fly fires in large parts of Bute and Plumas counties. Affected areas can be found here.

Officials said Friday that pets at the Plumas County Animal Shelter on Mill Creek Road will need to be picked up if an evacuation warning in East Quincy becomes mandatory.

The Sheriff’s Office in Tihama Governorate also issued evacuation warnings for areas located in the path of the fire.

And while the Dixie Fire has become California’s largest fire of the year so far, it’s not even half the size of the massive Bootleg Fire in Oregon, which on Friday swelled to more than 400,000 acres.

The lightning-triggered fire—currently the largest blaze in the United States—burned on July 6.

In the weeks that followed, it cut power lines, nearly derailing California’s electric grid, and sending smoke billowing across much of the continent.

As of Friday, the Bootleg Fire is 40% contained.

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