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Crews were continuing to battle two massive wildfires in Northern California on Saturday, with more residents ordered to flee their homes.
The Dixie fire had burned 181,289 acres and was 14% contained as of Saturday, when it prompted a new wave of evacuations for residents in Plumas County. At least 16 structures had been destroyed, and more than 7,000 were threatened, authorities said.
The fire was burning to the northeast through everything from timber to grasses, all of which are unseasonably dry, said Capt. Mitch Matlow, public information officer for the fire.
“This is more like what we would typically see in the late fall, at the end of the fire season before the rains come,” Matlow said. “The fuels got drier earlier in the season, which leads to more erratic fire behavior.”
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Crews were continuing to battle two massive wildfires in Northern California on Saturday, with more residents ordered to flee their homes.
The Dixie fire had burned 181,289 acres and was 14% contained as of Saturday, when it prompted a new wave of evacuations for residents in Plumas County. At least 16 structures had been destroyed, and more than 7,000 were threatened, authorities said.
The fire was burning to the northeast through everything from timber to grasses, all of which are unseasonably dry, said Capt. Mitch Matlow, public information officer for the fire.
“This is more like what we would typically see in the late fall, at the end of the fire season before the rains come,” Matlow said. “The fuels got drier earlier in the season, which leads to more erratic fire behavior.”
Eagle County rains helpful, but drought persists vaildaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vaildaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Western Wildfires Still Growing, But Better Weather Helps Crews Make Progress Fire officials warned they still had a long way to go before knocking down the blazes burning the American West By Nathan Howard •
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Lower winds and better weather helped crews using bulldozers and helicopters battling the nation’s largest wildfire in southern Oregon while a Northern California wildfire crossed into Nevada, prompting evacuations as blazes burn across the West.
Oregon’s Bootleg Fire grew to 624 square miles over half the size of Rhode Island. However, authorities said higher humidity Wednesday and overnight and better conditions allowed crews to improve fire lines. The fire also was approaching an area burned by a previous fire on its active southeastern flank, raising hopes that a lack of fuel could reduce its spread and the forecast was for favorable firefighting weather again Thursday.