Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Nearly a quarter of all firefighters assigned to Western fires are fighting California blazes, said Rocky Oplinger, an incident commander. The Dixie Fire is the largest single fire in California history and the largest currently burning in the U.S. The declaration frees up state resources to help fight fires in those counties and give assistance to residents affected by he blazes.Ĭalifornia’s raging wildfires are among some 100 large blazes burning across 15 states, mostly in the West, where historic drought conditions have left lands parched and ripe for ignition. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for northern Shasta, Trinity and Tehama counties. The Dixie Fire is about half the size of the August Complex, a series of lightning-caused 2020 fires across seven counties that were fought together and that state officials consider California’s largest wildfire overall. The fire that broke out July 14 grew slightly on Tuesday to an area of 766 square miles (1,984 square kilometers) but containment increased to 27%, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Temperatures are expected to rise and the humidity is expected to fall over the next few days, with triple-digit high temperatures possible later in the week along with a return of strong afternoon winds, fire meteorologist Rich Thompson warned Monday evening. It continues to challenge us,” said Chris Carlton, supervisor for Plumas National Forest. “We don’t know where this fire is going to end and where it’s going to land.
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