Dixie Fire burns 731,310 acres, 41 percent contained Tuesday morning
The Dixie Fire continues to burn and has grown to 731,310 acres as of Tuesday morning, Aug. 24. The fire is 41 percent contained.
Yesterday, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office announced further evacuation orders and reductions.
According to West Zone Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton, for the Westwood Sector, everything is looking good. Crews continue to mop up the Dyer Mountain area, and have gone direct in the Duffy area of the fire.
The finger of the fire closest to Susanville may be black on the map tomorrow, Brunton said.
According to the morning East Zone written update, The eastern edge of the Dixie Fire East Zone in the Janesville/Milford areas continues to remain secure. Crews continue doing structure prep which means adding hose and sometimes sprinklers around structures.
Fire crews on the southern edge of the fire above Antelope Lake continue to work the fire’s edge all the way up the Boulder Ridge Road, securing the line and extinguishing heat along the way. In Genesee Valley, resources continue to mop up around structures.
Firefighters are holding the fire, which has made its way down to the road, while continuing to catch any spots or slops at the road. On the Walker Fire scar slopover, crews and dozers continue to make progress building direct line.
In Indian/Peters Creek, firefighters are going direct on the fires edge, mopping up and patrolling around all the structures. Last night, PSD drones were used to moderate fire behavior as the fire made its way down the hill.
Today, crews will continue to work prepping houses and minimizing any spread in and around Taylorville. Additional water sources are being moved into Taylorsville. A contingency line above Taylorsville has been completed to provide a place for firefighters to take a stand if the fire continue to progress toward town.
The Black Mountain Hotshots were able to start line on the southern end, west side, of the Grizzly spot fire. The spot fire has not crossed Grizzly Ridge heading south. Dozers, feller bunchers, and masticators are working to construct and reinforce indirect lines on Grizzly Ridge, while additional contingency line construction continues south of Grizzly Ridge in case the fire continues to move that direction.
In the West Zone, lower humidity allowed for burning conditions to remain active for most of the night, primarily in the heavy fuels. Smoke settled into the lower valleys moderating activity in the lighter fuels. Fire activity was mainly limited to ground fire and isolated torching outside of the firing operations. Considerably drier conditions were observed with relative humidity recoveries in the 50-60 percent for most areas.
Certain evacuation orders have been reduced to warnings and certain warnings have been lifted allowing some residents to return to their homes and businesses. Returning residents are strongly encouraged to stay vigilant with regard to current fire conditions. Residents may see smoke coming from trees and stumps for days following their return. Residents are encouraged to call 911 if they are concerned about any active flames near their homes or businesses rather than attempting to deal with such flames themselves.
