Dixie Fire Update: Massive Blaze Grows To 501,00 Acres; Widespread Destruction In Greenville; Crews Battle Flames Near China Gulch
SUSANVILLE (CBS SF/AP) -- The Dixie Fire advanced on several fronts along the northern and eastern edges of the massive blaze early Wednesday with the burn zone topping 500,000 acres and damage assessment teams visiting Greenville and other sites of widespread destruction to determine the fire's toll.
Cal Fire announced early Wednesday that the blaze was 30 percent contained along the more than 465 miles of fire lines, the equivalent of traveling from Chico to Los Angeles.
The fire has destroyed at least 557 homes and leveled the communities of Greenville and Canyondam. A stunning aerial photo of the destruction on Greenville was posted Wednesday.
The firefight has moved on from those two towns toward the east and in the north where flames were burning in the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Incident commander Jack Cagel said crews were being challenged just south of China Gulch and a 'catcher's mitt' of dozer and fire lines were being strengthen to slow the fire's advance toward Susanville and Janesville.
"If you hear people (fire crews) aren't in Greenville, people aren't in Crescent Mills, that's because we are fighting the fire on the edge," he said. "We are not going to put equipment (in Greenville, Crescent Mills) and just shove it there and do nothing. We are going to be employing all our resources on the fire's edge to be as successful as possible."
Clear skies over parts of the month-old Dixie Fire have allowed aircraft to rejoin nearly 6,000 firefighters in the attack this week, but the weather was beginning to take a dramatic shift on Wednesday.
Gusty winds, temperatures approaching triple digits, humidity levels dipping into single digits and a monsoonal plume bringing with it the threat of lightning will challenge firefighters.
"Whether or not we can fly depends very much on where the smoke is. There's still some areas where it's just too smoky," fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga said.
Crews have cut thousands of acres of new fire lines aimed at preventing the fire from spreading. Officials believe the fire lines created on the blaze's southern side will hold the fire at bay there, but the fire's future is unknown.
"We don't know where this fire is going to end and where it's going to land. It continues to challenge us," said Chris Carlton, supervisor for Plumas National Forest.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for northern Shasta, Trinity and Tehama counties. The declaration frees up state resources to help fight fires in those counties and give assistance to residents affected by the blazes.
