California’s largest wildfire has destroyed multiple buildings and is threatening thousands more as the battle against the blaze stretched into its 12th day.
The massive Dixie Fire, which started July 14, had already destroyed over a dozen homes as well as other structures before it merged with the Fly Fire, reports the Associated Press.
The Fly Fire, at 4,600 acres, was 5.0 percent contained this morning. The Dixie Fire has consumed 190,625 acres – nearly 298 square miles acres (772 square kilometers) of timber and brush in Plumas and Butte counties. It was 21 percent contained as of Sunday, according to Cal Fire.
The Dixie fire burned into the Greenville Wye and burned across both Highway 70 and Highway 89 on its eastern flank, merging eventually with the smaller Fly Fire. The communities of Paxton and Indian Falls were the most severely impacted.
Firefighters carrying hand tools were forced to hike through rugged terrain where engines can’t go, said Rick Carhart, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Over 5,000 firefighters and other personnel are battling the blaze, According to CNN News, Cal Fire officials said in an update Sunday. More than 10,700 structures in Butte and Plumas Counties are threatened.
“It has been burning in extremely steep canyons, some places where it is almost impossible for human beings to set foot on the ground to get in there,” he said. “It’s going to be a long haul.”
Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday declared a state of emergency in four northern counties, allowing officials access to increased resources. The declaration included Alpine, Lassen, Plumas, and Butte counties.
Over 85 large wildfires were burning around the country on Sunday, most of them in Western states. They have burned over 1.4 million acres (2,135 square miles, or more than 553,000 hectares).
