Tag: Dixie Fire

6:30 p.m. PDT August 14, 2021

Here are some updated maps of the north half of the Dixie Fire. The south half is quiet.

Most of the fire activity Friday night and Saturday morning was:

• Lassen Volcanic National Park;
• Northeast and east of Chester;
• South and southeast of Westwood;
• West of Antelope Lake.

Continue reading “Dixie Fire grows by 25,000 acres”

6:50 a.m. PDT August 12, 2021

An inversion remained over the Dixie Fire southwest of Susanville, California Wednesday and Wednesday night trapping the smoke and reducing visibility, but the blaze was still moderately active. Late in the afternoon fire in the Wilcox Valley 12 miles northeast of Greenville intensified, sending up a smoke column that broke through the inversion. The smoke above the inversion was then transported off to the northwest by upper level winds. Warm temperatures Wednesday night and minimal humidity recovery allowed the the fire to continue to spread.

A mapping flight late Wednesday night found that the fire had grown to 510,000 acres.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.)

In an update, the Incident Management Team said in areas where the fire has been stopped the large fuels on the ground, such as logs and stumps, will require a significant amount of resources to mop up due to the volume of fuels and the steep, rugged terrain.

Aircraft initially working the fire Thursday morning will include 1 Very Large Air Tanker (DC-10), 2 Large Air Tankers, 2 Super Scoopers, 1 Lead Plane, 1 Air Attack aircraft, and approximately 20 helicopters.

Wednesday evening there were 6,133 personnel assigned to the incident, with 511 fire engines, 175 water tenders, 20 helicopters, 81 hand crews, and 198 dozers. The estimated suppression costs to date are $217 million. Nationwide there are over 25,000 personnel committed to wildland fires.

There is a chance Thursday for thunderstorms bringing very little rain with temperatures in the mid 90s to lower 100s and relative humidity in the lower teens. Winds will generally be out of the southwest in the afternoon with the exception of outflows generated by thunderstorms. The rest of the week should bring rising temperatures and dry conditions. Sustained southwest winds are expected to push the fire to the north and northeast.

7:49 a.m. PDT August 10, 2021

The Dixie Fire was burning so vigorously at 9:45 Monday night that the smoke plume which had risen to 22,000 feet made it impossible for the small fixed wing mapping plane to obtain good imagery on the northern section of the fire.

North of Highway 36, firefighters are attempting to prevent the north end of the fire from moving east across the A21/A25 Mooney Road. Dozer lines have been constructed to reinforce the road but spot fires have still occurred east of the lines. That is the section of the fire that could not be mapped Monday night.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

CAL FIRE reported at 7 p.m. Monday that it had burned at least 482,000 acres. However, later fixed wing and satellite imagery indicates it was still growing into the night.

For the last two days the Dixie Fire has been working its way around the southwest tip of the 2020 Sheep Fire, 10 miles southwest of Susanville. On the south side of the Sheep Fire is the scar from the 2007 Moonlight Fire, where the diminished fuels have slowed the spread, but the north side has no recent fire history, resulting in greater fire activity on that side. Our map in an article from August 6 shows the footprint of the Moonlight Fire. The map at the top of this article shows a lighter color of vegetation where that fire burned 14 years ago.

The latest data from crews evaluating damage to infrastructure have found 873 destroyed structures. Maps are available showing the status of structures.

Smoke Monday morning was slow to dissipate, hampering the use of aircraft. In the afternoon wind from the southwest gusting to 20 mph thinned it out, and also increased the fire behavior.

The GOES 17 satellite image, below, shows that the fire was very active at 6:46 p.m. Monday. At that time it was just beginning to form pyrocumulus clouds which later grew, forming a line of condensation that reached to Nevada.

6:53 p.m. PDT August 8, 2021

The wind across the Dixie Fire Sunday afternoon was stronger than it has been in several days. A weather station near Susanville recorded sustained 13 to 16 mph winds out of the southwest and west gusting at 19 to 24 mph. Combined with 12 percent relative humidity and very dry fuels the fire cranked up a head of steam and at 2:55 p.m. was mapped after spreading up to a mile east or northeast in the northeast section of the fire at the edge of the 2020 Sheep Fire.

There was little if any movement into the Sheep Fire footprint, but the Dixie Fire was active going around the corners. Presumably after the 2:55 p.m. flight, the limited spread around the edges of the Sheep Fire continued.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dixie Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

At that time it was about 12 miles southwest of Susanville.

Sunday afternoon there was also additional fire spread northeast of Canyondam and northeast of Greenville. There was very limited fire movement in the northwest section of the fire seven miles northeast of Chester.

Maps are available showing the status of structures, and evacuations.

The weather forecast indicates conditions favorable for additional fire growth through this week, with warmer temperatures and southwesterly winds.

Continue reading “Somewhat slowed by smoke, Dixie Fire still spreads further east”