Dixie Fire grows to 322,502 acres, prompts Lassen evacuation warnings, orders
Various evacuation warnings and orders remain in place Thursday as heart-breaking images of nearby Greenville emerge after the Dixie Fire’s catastrophic surge yesterday. The damage assessment of Greenville is ongoing.
As of Thursday morning, the wildfire has grown to 322,502 acres and remains at 35 percent containment.
Yesterday, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office issued additional warnings and orders as the Dixie Fire boomed.
For Lassen County:
Mandatory Evacuation Orders have been issued for the following areas:
· The area south of Hwy 44 from the Lassen County line east to A21 including Silver Lake, Juniper Lake, and the Caribou Wilderness Area -Zone LAS-E031, added just before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
· The unpopulated area south of Mountain Meadows Reservoir from Hamilton Branch waterway east to the Lassen/Plumas County line. Zone LAS-E019.
Evacuation Warnings have been issued for the following areas:
· Westwood and Pine Town area south of Hwy 36 from the Westwood Landfill Rd. east to Moonlight Ranch Rd. zone LAS-E023
· Clear Creek, south of Hwy 36 from the Lassen County line east to the Westwood Landfill “haul road”. Zone LAS-E020
In the West zone of the fire, extreme fire behavior through the night fueled by low relative humidity and strong winds allowed the fire to grow 50,000 acres overnight. Firefighters continue to actively engage the fire, construct direct and indirect fire line and provide structure defense.
For the East Zone of the Fire yesterday, “the fire spotted over control lines in Round Valley and grew explosively with whole tree torching and a crown fire being driven by gusty winds. Despite valiant efforts of firefighters, aerial resources and law enforcement to protect life and defend property, fire spread into the community of Greenville. Damage assessment is ongoing. The fire behavior moderated some after dark. Red Flag warning will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday for dry, windy conditions and the potential for extremely active fire behavior. Today the focus is on containing active fire perimeter on the north side of the fire and holding existing firelines.”
