Dixie Fire grows to 432,813 acres by Friday morning, remains at 35 percent containment
The Dixie Fire darkened the sky in Lassen County yesterday as the wildfire grew to a staggering 432,813 acres by Friday morning. The blaze remains at 35 percent containment.
So far, with the wildfire tearing through the Plumas County community of Greenville this week, 91 structures are reported as destroyed, in addition to 43 minor structures. Five structures, and five additional minor structures sustained damaged.
As of the Friday morning update, 13,871 structures remained threatened. About 5,222 personnel are assigned to the fire.
On Thursday, a rash of evacuation orders and warnings poured from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office. About 6:30 p.m. Thursday, per the Lassen Municipal Utility District, power to Westwood was de-energized to protect emergency personnel. According to the morning East Zone update, the fire reached the southern shore of Mountain Meadows Reservoir.
As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, New Mandatory Evacuation Orders have been issued for:
- Lassen National Forest south of Hwy 36 to the Lassen County line including Hamilton Mtn., Coyote Peak, and Indicator Peak – Zone LAS-E017
- North of Hwy 36 from the Lassen County Line to A21 – Zone LAS-EO27
- South of Hwy. 44 from A21 to McCoy Flat – Zone LAS-E028
- North of Hwy. 36 east of A21 – Zone LAS-EO29
Mandatory Evacuation Orders remain in place for:
- Clear Creek, Westwood, and Pine Town area south of Hwy 36 from the Lassen County line east to Moonlight Ranch Rd – Zones LAS-E020 and LAS-E023
- Walker Lake area north of Mtn. Meadows Reservoir and south of Moonlight Rd. – Zone E018
- The unpopulated area south of Mountain Meadows Reservoir from Hamilton Branch waterway east to the Lassen/Plumas County line – Zone LAS-E019.
- Area east of Mtn. Meadows Reservoir and south of Hwy 36 to Coppervale – Zone LAS-E026
- 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
Evacuation Warnings remain in place for:
- South of Hwy 44, north of Hwy 36, west to Hog Flat Reservoir – Zone LAS-E030
The emergency alert zone map can be accessed at: community.zonehaven.com
Road Closures: County Road A21 is closed due to fire and Hwy 36 is closed west of the Hwy 44 junction.
Two shelters are open in Susanville at Lassen Community College and Lassen High School.
According to the morning update, the fire remained active overnight for both the East and West Zones.
Dixie Fire West Zone
The Dixie Fire remained very active overnight with warm temperatures, poor relative humidity recoveries, and strong overnight winds fueling fire behavior. The fire continues to move towards control lines, burning unburned interior islands and ridges. Steep terrain, heavy fuel loading, spot fires, and wind in alignment with canyons is making control difficult. The fire is expected to remain active in the morning hours. The valleys will see better relative humidity recovery today, which will enable crews to make headway on building containment lines. Damage assessment teams are assessing the fire area.
Dixie Fire East Zone
On the East Zone, the fast-moving fire has reached the southern shore of Mountain Meadows Reservoir and was expected to remain active and dynamic overnight with flanking, tree group torching and fire running along the crowns of treetops. Priorities for wildland firefighters were preservation of human life and utilizing engines, hand crews and bulldozers to control spot fires in the Canyon Dam area, provide structure protection along the east shore of Lake Almanor, the community of Crescent Mills and the remaining homes in Greenville. Fire Managers are also strategizing tactics to protect cultural resources, critical infrastructure, and private property in the path of possible future fire growth near State Route 44 around Peninsula Village, as far east as Greenhorn. Multiple additional resources, which will help with the implementation of these strategies, have been ordered and we are awaiting their arrival.
