More new fires in California. . .

[Bethers]

Denying bail is good but I hope he gets the book thrown at him.

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Thursday, 8/13/21 @ 9:36 a.m.

____________

Looking at various fire maps of this morning, Thursday August 13 @ 8:59 a.m.:

The west arm of the fire appears to again be approaching the lovely Lassen Volcanic National Park Visitor’s Center and associated buildings, currently at about 3 miles distant. The Visitor’s Center was refurbished and completely rebuilt just a few years ago.

Slightly north of the Visitor’s Center, the fire appears to be approaching the peak of Lassen Volcano, this part of the fire also about 3 miles distant from the peak. There isn’t much to burn on the peak itself (I have visited Lassen Volcano many, many times) – it is mostly ash and debris left over from the eruptions of 1914 and a few years following 1914. However, there is a vast and beautiful pine forest below and surrounding the peak; this pine forest also covers a large part of the park itself. The pine forest is burning.

To the north-east of the Visitor’s Center, the fire continues to burn in a northerly direction, and is currently approaching the northern boundary of the park, currently having burned approximately 25% of the park on the eastern side of the park, from south (where the fire first entered the park) to the northern boundary.

There appear to be 2 new fires – perhaps spot fires – each about 5 hours old - at Hwy. 89, the main entry road into the park from the south, approx. 3 ½ miles south of the park entrance.

Map:

https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/40.2973/-121.1318/10

Video

"08-12-21 Westwood CA and Dixie Fire activity plus black bear"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o59EStQCpbM

South-east of the park, the fire appears it might again be threatening the town of Chester from the north (previously, the town was threatened from the south, through supreme efforts of firefighters is was saved - hopefully, it will be saved again)

The fire appears be burning on into the Lake Almanor peninsula (there are a great many expensive resort-style homes located on the peninsula).

East of the peninsula, the fire appears to be burning in a southerly direction, approx. 1 mile from the outskirts of the resort town of Westwood.

These are the major developments that I am seeing on various fire maps of the area as of this morning. Some of these fire approaches could be (hopefully) controlled burns ignited to limit fuel loads from the approaching main body of the fire. I am unable to determine what might be controlled burns from looking at available maps.

According to the CalFire update of last night, August 13 (Wednesday @ 8:32 pm – no updates yet as of this morning)

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/7/14/dixie-fire/

regarding the Dixie Fire:

515,756 acres
31% contained
Has been burning for the last 30 days (ignited July 14)
72 Structures damaged
1,109 Structures destroyed (Residential homes, commercial buildings and other)

The fire is still actively burning

Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for:

Rush Creek
Silver Lake (west of Meadow Valley)
Caribou Rd north to the Humbug Rd and Humboldt Rd intersection
Prattville Butt Reservoir Road and everything west to the Butte/Plumas County line
The community of Seneca south to Hwy70 Round Valley Reservoir, Dixie Canyon, Indian Falls
Northwest of Round Valley Lake to Long Valley Mine and north to Hwy 89 Hwy 70 at Black Hawk Rd, south to Barlow Rd and everything west to Snake Lake
Everything west of Hwy 89/36 Junction
Greenville [although Greenville is known to have burned]
Canyon Dam
West Shore of Lake Almanor, Prattville
East Shore of Lake Almanor
North and Eastern parts of Indian Valley
From the Hwy 89/Hwy 36 Junction, north along Stover Mtn. Rd to the County Line and west from the Hwy 89/Hwy 36 Junction along the south side of the highway to the County Line.
Chester
Lake Almanor Peninsula
Hamilton Branch
Heart “K” Ranch
Lone Rock
Antelope

Currently assigned to the fire:

20 Helicopters
520 Engines
199 Dozers
173 Water tenders [water trucks]
6160 Personnel
81 Crews

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Saturday, 8/14/21 @ 9:36 a.m.

____________

The Dixie Fire continues to burn, increasing from 515,756 acres to 540,841 acres overnight, an increase of more than 25,000 acres.

New mandatory evacuations were issued yesterday for communities on both the west and east arms of the fire.

The fire, particularly the east arm, very actively burned overnight.

According to CalFire, "Saturday remains a high-risk fire environment due to lingering thunderstorms and possible ground lightning strikes."

There was some small bit of rain over the eastern part of the fire yesterday with the thunderstorms, but not enough to make a difference.

It is thought that the two new fires on the main road into Lassen Volcanic National Park from the south were caused by dry lightning strikes.

Percent contained is currently at 31%, full containment is predicted for August 30. With hundreds of miles of fire perimeter, I think this date will likely be slipped into September or later.

If anything of immediate interest occurs, I will post it.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

Any questions, please ask and I will try to find out the answer.

Thank you.

Anne

[OregonLuvr]

We have the new Patton fire west of Lakeview by Klamath Falls, seems to be a bit of a problem area. Arent they all.

The Patton Meadow Fire is estimated to be 7,000 acres with no containment. Wildland firefighters are working to keep the fire north of Oregon State Highway 140 and west of the structures along Cottonwood Road.

The fire is burning approximately 10 miles west of Lakeview in Lake County on the Fremont-Winema National Forest Lakeview District and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) protected state and private lands.

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Sunday, 8/15/21 @ 9:36 a.m. (#1)

____________

Quick update (more to follow):

It appears that a new fire ignited last night near Roseville, Ca., possibly a bit south and east of Velda's location.

This has been named the "Caldor Fire". Currently at about 45 acres, and burning eastward "at a moderate rate of speed".

"This fire is one mile east of Omo Ranchin Middle Fork Cosumnes River, burning to the east at a moderate rate of spread. Structures are threatened with Evacuation Orders and Warnings issued. Threat to private timberland.

Mandatory evacuations for 1.5 miles around the fire, and evacuation warnings for Omo Ranch."

For further details:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/

Further details on this fire, and the fire that Karen mentioned above, to follow.

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Sunday, 8/15/21 @ 11:41 a.m. (#2)

____________

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Dixie Fire

554,816 acres
Actively burning for 32 days
Still only 31% contained
Burning across 5 California counties (Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Tehama, Shasta)

Fiber Optic lines in the fire area have been damaged by the fire; this is affecting the ability of residents to place emergency 911 calls.

Dixie Fire Today:

“For today, the threat of thunderstorm will increase across the fire with outflow wind and lightning strikes the main concern. Afternoon temperatures will climb into the 90's to lower 100's while relative humidity drops into the 8-18% range.”

Dixie Fire Projected Incident Activity Next 12 hours:

“Near critical burning conditions. Temperatures will be in the triple digits today. The atmosphere will be unstable with a Haines Index of 6. Forecasted winds will be SW17 mph with 20% cloud cover. Fire behavior will consist of wind driven surface fire, isolated torching and spotting. Moderate overnight recoveries may provide opportunity for line construction and firing operations. Local thresholds will be exceeded. Expect comparable fire behavior as the previous operational period. The fire will most likely spread to the North, Northeast, East due to sustained SW winds.”

More information on the Dixe Fire via InciWeb (information quoted above is from InciWeb):

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

East Zone [of the Dixie Fire] Community Meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m., live streaming on the Plumas and Lassen Facebook pages, also available via Zoom:



Addional Northern California fires

Four additional major fires are currently actively burning in northern California, each of them are around 100 miles from the Dixie Fire (additionally, there are a multitude of smaller fires burning up and down the state, with new fires seeming to ignite every day - this is very alarming):

McFarland Fire (72 miles west of Dixie) 40,684 acres, actively burning

Monument Fire (85 miles west of Dixie) 74,759 acres, actively burning. Threatening the towns of:

Weaverville (7.5 miles distant from the fire)
Hayfork (6.5 miles distant from the fire)

Haypress/River Complex Fire (89 miles west of Dixie) 39,355 acres, actively burning

Antelope Fire (109 miles north and east of Dixie) 50,342 acres, actively burning. Might be heading towards my most favorite volcano, the Medicine Lake Volcano (about 6 miles distant) and thus also towards Lava Beds National Monument on the north-east slopes of the volcano (Lava Beds about 12 miles distant from the Antelope Fire).

OREGON

Looking at the map, there seem to be an alarming number of fires actively burning up and down the spine of the Cascades and western-facing foothills of the Cascades within the state of Oregon. This is extremely unusual for Oregon – western Oregon is generally known to receive rain in the summer; often quite a lot. This year Oregon is unseasonably dry.

The fire that Karen mentioned (thank you, Karen) the Patton Meadow Fire (two-day-old references state 7,000 acres, it is likely larger this morning), is actively burning near the south-east corner of Oregon

Klamath Falls – (55 miles distant)
Lakeview – (10 miles distant)

This is a bit confusing – the Patton Meadow Fire shows on the map as near Lakewood, some references I am reading this morning describe it as being south-east of Bonanza (Bonanza is just outside Klamath Falls).

Karen, do you have an update for this fire?

Thank you.

Anne

Photo courtesy InciWeb

[OregonLuvr]

The wildfire is burning on the Fremont-Winema National Forest as well as on private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It's located about 10 miles west of Lakeview. Is now called the Fox Complex fire as it joined with the Willow Valley Fire. So far haven't seen many updates.

Update: As of 8/15 the Patton Meadow Fire is up to : 5,406 Acres / Containment: 15%

[Cudedog]

The wildfire is burning on the Fremont-Winema National Forest as well as on private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It's located about 10 miles west of Lakeview. Is now called the Fox Complex fire as it joined with the Willow Valley Fire. So far haven't seen many updates.

Update: As of 8/15 the Patton Meadow Fire is up to : 5,406 Acres / Containment: 15%

Thank you, Karen.

I found "Incident Overview" information on the Fox Complex Fire on InciWeb this afternoon (8/16, this information has not been updated since yesterday, 8/15/21):

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7798/
Cause: Lighting
Location: 10 miles W of Lakeview, Or
Total personnel: 543
Size: 6,230 acres

Morning update 8/16
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7798/63879/

Photo posted on inciweb of the Fox Complex:


Update on the Dixie Fire, 8/16/21 @ 7:11 a.m.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

The Dixie Fire is still actively burning.

Current size: 569,707 acres
Total Personnel: 6,579
Percent Contained: 31%
Estimated Containment Date: August 30 [this date is subject to change]

Briefly:

"For today, critical fire weather conditions are expected to develop over the fire. [Dixie Fire] Southwest winds will increase in the afternoon hours with gusts around 25-35 MPH while relative humidity drops into the teens. With the expected critical fire weather conditions, a LOCAL RED FLAG WARNING is in effect from Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening."

High winds - even light winds - rushing through a wildfire actively burning through bone-dry, drought-stricken, brush and trees is. . . never a good thing.

Anne

[Cudedog]

__________________

Morning Update, 11:30 a.m., 8/17/21

__________________

The Dixie Fire - 604,511 acres, still actively burning, still only 31% contained

Dixie Fire

The Dixie Fire, or perhaps an advanced spot fire, ignited last night near Highway 395 just south of the town of Janesville. I am reading as yet unverified reports that the southern part of Janesville has been damaged; I can see from the fire maps that this spot fire (if it is a spot fire, and not a new fire yet-to-be-named) is currently about 2 miles south-east of the Janesville town center. Highway 395 was closed last night (again, south of Janesville), due to the fire burning on either side of the road; I have been unable to determine if 395 has re-opened this morning.

A bit north and west of Janesville, the Lassen County seat, Susanville (about 18,000 residents), has the western part of the city under mandatory evacuation orders. Looking at the fire map, the Dixie Fire appears to be approaching Susanville, now only about 5 miles +/- distant from the southern part of the city.

Hwy 395, possibly still closed at Janesville, is also the main road - the escape route - from Susanville to the south. The other main option is Hwy 139 to Eagle Lake, and on to Klamath Falls (KF is the nearest large-ish city to Susanville to the north).

Additionally, the Dixie Fire has damaged the fiber optic cables that carry 911 telephone calls (and "reverse" 911 calls, whereby 911 calls out to residents, instead of residents calling in). This damage has mostly put 911 out of service in much of Lassen County. This is extremely dangerous - many people wait to hear a mandatory evacuation order before they will leave, sometimes leaving escape too late - especially if a call never comes.

Lassen County is encouraging residents to NOT wait for evacuation orders, but to evacuate when they feel it necessary.

Also, the Dixie Fire now appears to have burned about 50% of Lassen Volcanic National Park, after a major increase in fire spread within the park yesterday. The fire this morning is still very actively burning within the boundaries of the park. This, personally, gives me major sadness - Lassen is located in a fairly remote area of the Southern Cascades, and, due to it's remoteness and relatively light number of visitors (compared to other national parks) makes it a home for vast numbers of wildlife, including American black bear, bobcat, mountain lion, raccoon, coyote, fox, weasel, skunk as well as many others.

"Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to approximately 300 species of vertebrates, which includes birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The richness of species is contributed to the variety of habitats found within three ecological zones in Lassen Volcanic National Park."
https://www.nps.gov/lavo/learn/nature/animals.htm

If nothing changes, and the fire continues to burn at the current amount of spread, and in the direction it is currently burning, it might well be that the entire park will be burned over before the Dixie Fire has finished scorching it's way through the park.

Dixie Fire Update from InciWeb:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7690/63979/

"Lassen and Plumas National Forests, August 17, 2021 — Fire intensity and growth increased across the northeastern section of the fire after the smoke inversion that had kept fire activity moderated dissipated in the early afternoon. Winds associated with the dry cold front arrived as forecasted and quickly increased fire intensity in the afternoon. The Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 11:00 p.m. today due to the predicted winds gusting up to 35 mph and single digit relative humidity. Temperatures will remain in the high 90’s. Winds are expected to come from the West in the morning, shifting to come from the North in the afternoon and from the Northwest in the evening. . .

Dixie Fire West Zone: Intense fire activity continued into the evening hours under the influence of southwest winds. A significant change in the weather pattern occurred across the incident yesterday, resulting in southwest winds ranging from 15 to 25 mph. A local Red Flag Warning will remain in effect until 11:00 p.m. tonight. Damage assessment is ongoing, and the number of damaged and destroyed structures may change as teams are able to access the fire area safely. Several Evacuation Warnings and Evacuation Orders were issued today in Lassen County."

My note: it is possible that these evacuation warnings are not being received by many, because of the damage to the fiber optic lines mentioned above.

__________

In addition the the Dixie Fire listed above, and these listed below, there are also multiple fires, both large and small, burning within northern California

Monument Fire, 102,888 acres, still actively burning, 10% contained

This fire is about 100 miles west of the Dixie fire, and is currently threatening the towns of Weaverville (the leading edge of the fire is approaching Weaverville, at about 5 miles distant) and Hayfork slightly to the south of Weaverville (the leading edge of the fire is approaching Hayfork, at about 4 1/2 miles distant.

Fox Complex Fire - currently at 6,851 acres - still actively burning (south-east Oregon)
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7798/63988/

"Today’s forecasted Red Flag Warning from 2pm to 10pm will bring a dry cold front through the region with winds from the north and northwest at 15mph and gusts up to 35mph. The conditions will complicate firefighting efforts and have potential to push the fire to the south and east. Additional resources are being added to the firefighting effort and crews will be focusing on fortifying control and contingency lines in anticipation of the winds increasing in the early afternoon.

In anticipation of today’s weather event, two additional OSFM task forces are arriving to assist with structure protection. One task force will be arriving from Yamhill County and a Clackamas County task force will be coming in from the Middle Fork Complex. OSFM task forces are assessing homes and working with wildland crews to fortify containment lines along the south, east, and west sides of the fire."

Caldor Fire - 6,500 acres - still actively burning (south-east of Roseville, Ca. - near the state capitol of Sacramento)
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/

"The Caldor Fire - Is Burning In The Steep Middle Fork Cosumnes River Canyon East Of The Omo Ranch Area. Extreme Fire Behavior Was Observed Overnight Causing Immediate Mandatory Evacuations In The Area And Structure Loss Was Observed. The Actual Number Of Destroyed/damaged Structures Is Undetermined As Fire Conditions Are Not Yet Safe To Bring In Damage Assessment Teams. The Fire Continues To Pose A High Risk To Multiple Populated Communities. Additional Evacuations Orders Are Anticipated. The Fire Is Predicted To Impact Sly Park Lake And Interstate Travel Including Important Evacuation Routes. There Is A Continued Threat To Structures (combination Of Residences And Outbuildings) In The Communities Of Omo Ranch And Grizzly Flats As Well As Private Businesses, Commercial Timberlands, Vineyards And Other Agricultural Lands. This Is A Rapidly Changing Incident With Dynamic Fire Behavior."

Anne

Photo from InciWeb

[Cudedog]

________

2:03 p.m. Major explosion in the Caldor fire south east of Velda.

________

Fire possibly heading towards the town of Pollock Pines (population 7,000+) and possibly the city of Placerville (population 10,970).

Live firecams (video):

http://beta.alertwildfire.org/region/shastamodoc/?camera=Axis-Leek

http://beta.alertwildfire.org/region/shastamodoc/?camera=Axis-OmoRanch2

Children being evacuated from local campgrounds.

Mandatory evacuation of Pollock Pines. Both Pollock Pines and Placerville are near Sacramento, California state's capitol city.

[MandysMom]

By "near Sacramento, she means almost 60 miles. I'm about same but north side. Fire at 42,000 acres by sunset. Spent day watching various fire fighting air craft pass over my house to and from the fire. Their base is the ls the former McClellan Air Force Base, where Mel worked for 11 years. I saw at least one 4 prop engine large tanker painted the obviously military color of grey, while the other fire bombers are white with red or orange markings, and often a tell tale red stain from retardant on bottom rear of plane. Planes can only fly during day and may be hampered by heavy winds, too much smoke, or even idiots with drones, which in itself grounds all aircraft for minimum 30 min. Hope fire lays down tonight and they make progress cutting line. Next few days could be very treacherous wind, heat, and low humidity conditions. Warnings came out tonight that fire could reach hwy 50, heading north. Pray for California!
Velda

[mtngal]

[SoCalGalcas]

A big Thank You to Annie for the fire reports. Our local news paper is worthless for giving information regarding fires.
I always liked the town of Lakeview, OR. Did bird watching in the area.
Now Velda, keep us posted on the fires in your area. Gads, what next?!?!?
Lyn

[Cudedog]

A big Thank You to Annie for the fire reports. Our local news paper is worthless for giving information regarding fires.
I always liked the town of Lakeview, OR. Did bird watching in the area.
Now Velda, keep us posted on the fires in your area. Gads, what next?!?!?
Lyn

Thank you for your kind words, Lyn. Much appreciated.

It is "interesting" (and not in a good way) that the "mainstream media" (LOL - whatever that is) is mostly ignoring the fire situation out here in California.

Last night I watched the "Nightly News" on NBC (as posted to YouTube, I do not have cable tv) and the only fire mention was less than about 30 seconds on the Caldor Fire (the one a ways from Velda) nothing at all - not a peep - about the Dixie Fire, the largest fire currently burning in the entire United States, and perhaps approaching the all-time-record size for a fire in all of California history. The August Complex Fire at, 1,032,648 acres (that's in millions of acres) is still at #1 - burned in August of last year (2020)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Complex_fire

The August complex originated as 38 separate fires started by lightning strikes on August 16–17, 2020, this time last year.

The Dixie Fire currently holds the all-time record as #1 largest single fire in California history, and #2 largest fire in California fires overall (including "complex" fires like the August Fire), currently standing at 678,369 acres, - still very actively burning. Will not be at all surprised if it surpasses the August to become #1.

Now on to today's update.

Sorry the fire news isn't better. . .

Gads, what next?!?!? Lyn

Funny (actually, not so funny. . .) you should ask, Lynn.

What's next?

Our annual Santa Ana/Diablo Winds are just around the corner, due to begin to blow in the next several weeks. Imagine 80 mph winds blowing over and through an actively burning wildfire. . .

I will be covering a bit about these winds in my next post. Read on.

Thanks to everyone for reading this thread, and thank you for all for your kind encouragement, Lyn, Beth, Sue and others, I sincerely appreciate the kind words. I apologize for likely forgetting someone. Sorry.

Anne

[Cudedog]

______________

Update 8/19/21 - Thursday - 8:54 a.m. (time of initial writing)

______________

Took a break yesterday from this thread, the unrelenting fire gloom-and-doom here has begun to take a bit of a toll.

This post is very long, but I think it will give an accurate view of what is being faced by a large part of the population here in northern California, not to mention most all of the western states.

Looking out my window this morning, the sky is filled with smoke, the sunlight is colored to a reddish yellow hue. At least there is no ashfall. At least not at the moment. Looks kind of like Armageddon. . .

Those of you east of the Continental Divide, with your rains and your greenery – give thanks.

Before posting a general update on the major fires actively burning in northern California (to list and describe the literally dozens of minor fires that are igniting here, every day - and mostly then being extinguished - is just too daunting a task to consider) there is a (currently) smallish worry that grows ever larger as each day goes by, that I will get to in a moment: the Jack-In-The-Box.

As I post the general information on each of the major fires, I will also post their "estimated" date of containment, which I believe to be overly optimistic at best. Particularly the estimate for the Dixie Fire.

As mentioned prior posts, "contained" does not mean "extinguished", or "put out" it merely means that any given fire is surrounded by fire lines (a line or space cleared of vegetation that a fire - hopefully - will be unable to cross); the interior of such fires can, and often do, continue to burn. Giving them the potential to jump the fire lines, and again begin to spread, should conditions change.

For a brief example, the date the Dixie Fire is estimated to be "contained" is August 30. This date seems to me to be a completely fantasy, perhaps posted as some kind of public relations nonsense unrelated to reality. I say this hoping that I am wrong. I don’t think that I am. We shall see.

The Dixie continues to actively burn.

My last update on this fire was two days ago, August 17. As of the 17th, the Dixie had burned 604,511 acres. As of this morning, August 19, the Dixie has now burned 678,369 acres, an increase of 73,858 acres in only two days.

The entire area remains under a “Red Flag Warning” until 11:00 a.m. this morning. With likely further such warnings coming over the following days (as is usually the case for this time of year here) and weeks until our seasonal autumn rains begin – usually (hopefully!) late October or early November.

About the current Red Flag warning:

“* IMPACTS... Any active fires or new fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.”

https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=CAZ068&warncounty=CAC063&firewxzone=CAZ268&local_place1=Chester%20CA&product1=Red+Flag+Warning&lat=40.3114&lon=-121.2274#.YR6DbN9lBIA

I hope everyone is still with me so for, because now I get to the Jack-in-the-box clown that is due to pop out of the box within a few weeks and, (Likely? Perhaps?), be a total “game changer” to our current fire situation. That is, if this year’s fire game isn't already bad enough.

This is the daily-approaching worry that I mentioned above:

And that is the arrival of the annual Santa Ana/Diablo winds. I just said “Santa Ana” winds on my 2020 fire threads (mainly because I grew up in southern California, and also because it seems that these autumn winds were referred to as “Santa Ana” all over the state until fairly recently), however, Sandi corrected me to say that the winds in northern California should be called "Diablo Winds" (thank you, Sandi, I sincerely try to remain factually correct in all of my fire posts) to say that these winds, that blow every autumn - they are part of California’s "normal" weather cycle – are called “Santa Ana” (‘Ana’ is spelled with one ‘n’, not two) in the southern part of California, Diablo winds in the northern part of the state.

In any case, the cause of these winds is much the same, and the result of these winds are equally catastrophic should they be blowing at up to 60 mph - some references state up to 80 mph - over an active wildfire, or hot and active embers.

This is how they work:



To sum up:

These winds are coming.

Always in the past (I have lived in this area for 40 years) the worst fires have always come in late October.

The Dixie fire is currently at 678,369 acres. This is around one-thousand square miles. The Dixie is still very actively burning. Even when “contained” the interior of a fire can – and does – still smolder, if not actively burn in “islands” of unburned acreage, that the original fire, as it has passed through, somehow missed.

A single burned-and-down (or burned-and-still-standing) tree can smolder and retain embers hot enough to re-ignite a fire for many weeks. Should a dry wind then blow through them (think Diablo wind, as mentioned above) these damaged trees can again bloom to fire.

California’s forested area (I’m not talking about the brush below the trees, there is plenty of that, too) can contain up to 165 – 170 trees per acre, according to University of California at Davis and United States Forest Service research. Most of the area of the Dixie Fire is very heavily treed, particularly in the upper elevations around Lake Almanor and Lassen Volcanic National Park (the areas where the Dixie is still actively burning).

Do the math: 165 trees per acre x 678,369 acres already burned (with likely more acres to come) = 111,930,855 (that’s in millions) of trees that could burn again in the Dixie Fire area alone, should the Diablo hit them just right.

The Dixie Fire (and all of the other fires – both major and minor) – will not be fully extinguished until the area receives a “wetting rain” (firefighters do not have the time to totally extinguish every square foot of fire, as a wildfire constantly rushes forward at often miles-per-hour - they are instead heavily engaged in structure protection and rescue): “A widespread rain that over an extended period of time significantly reduces fire danger. One-tenth of an inch may be sufficient to reduce fire danger in grass fuel models. One half inch may be necessary for timber fuels under closed canopies.”
https://www.nwcg.gov/term/glossary/wetting-rain

Much of the Dixie Fire is comprised of "timber fuels under closed canopies".

It is extremely unlikely that northern California will receive a “wetting rain” much before the end of October/early November. Another two months – or more - to go.

And, as stated above, California’s worst fires have always and historically come around the end of October, just before the annual rains arrive, when the mountains and hillsides and valleys are all at their driest, and their fuels (grass and trees and brush) are all at their most combustible.

As I write this, it is barely past the middle of August.

It is difficult to imagine how these fuels can get any drier than they already are.

And soon to come to northern California is the Diablo. . .

_______________

FIRE UPDATES

(fire info below is posted from yubanet.com/fires/, except where I have added additional information in brackets [ ])

THE DIXIE FIRE

[As of this morning, the Dixie Fire appears to have burned through more than 50% of Lassen Volcanic National Park, and is still burning within the park, and on the outskirts of the park. The small town of Mineral, site of park headquarters, and slightly outside the park, has been evacuated. If the fire continues on its current path, it seems likely that the entirety of the park will be burned over]

Approximately 30,000 people under evacuation warning or evacuation orders
Size: 678,369 acres
35% contained
Estimate of containment: August 30, 2021

Dixie Fire West Zone: Fire continued to burn actively for most of the night due to lower humidity recoveries and the sustained winds. Persistent spotting continued to be an issue as well. Very low fuel moistures and terrain-driven winds also contributed to continued overnight fire growth.

Dixie Fire East Zone:The fire near Janesville is growing rapidly in the dry sage and grassland fuel and both West Zone and East Zone crews and equipment continue to respond. Downslope evening winds caused additional spotting and fire growth south of Beardsley-Grade Road. Additional resources from the West Zone have been shifted into the Genesee Valley as firefighters aggressively protect structures and conduct point protection. In the Dyer Mountain area, resources continue to secure and mop up the perimeter line. Direct line construction will continue in the area east of Westwood. The fire continues to be held on Fruit Growers Boulevard. All lines at Keddie Point and into the North Arm of Indian Valley are holding and will continue to be patrolled. Aircraft will be utilized today as weather and visibility allow.

CALDOR FIRE (currently about 40 miles south-east of Velda, according to the fire map)

Size: 65,474 acres
Percent contained: 0% [zero percent]
Estimate of Containment: August 31, 2021
Approx. 10,000 people under evacuation

August 19, 2021 at 9:20 AM

No aircraft on the fire at this time due to poor visibility.

August 19, 2021 at 6:56 AM

CAL FIRE update: Fire growth was moderated overnight due to increased humidity. Spotting and rollout continued to be the main contributor to fire spread throughout the evening. Spot fires remain hidden for long durations due to dense timber stands and limited road access.

For the next operational period fire behavior will increase in the afternoon when the inversion layer lifts. Expect multiple new spot fires in the North and Northeast areas of the incident, causing potential fire growth. Red Flag Warning ends at 11:00 a.m.

MONUMENT FIRE, Shasta National Forest

Size: 135,714 acres
Estimate of Containment: September 1, 2021
Percent contained: 10%
Approx. 8,000 under evacuation orders
[The towns of Hayfork and Weaverville appear to remain threatened]

August 19, 2021 at 8:23 AM
Moderate fire behavior was observed overnight which enabled firefighters to make limited progress in suppression efforts. Fire activity was active on all flanks with uphill runs, torching and long-range spotting. Resources worked to hold and minimize spread on the southeastern portion of the fire. Multiple spots were located and are being suppressed.
Today, firefighters will continue to actively provide structure defense, construct direct and indirect fire line and mop-up operations.
Extreme drought, winds and receptive fuels have challenged containment efforts. Observed winds were lighter than predicted yesterday. Smoke from fires in the surrounding area is assisting firefighters in suppression actions by moderating fire behavior.

August 19, 2021 at 7:38 AM
Active fire behavior with long-range spotting observed. Structures threatened with additional Evacuation Orders and Warnings issued and in effect. Electrical transmission and distribution lines have been damaged. Threats to critical power, water and communication infrastructure, Trinity River Watershed and recreational sites, private timberland and grazing allotments, historical/cultural sites, and critical wildlife habitat. Hayfork Lookout and associated communication infrastructure threatened. Highway 299 remains closed. There is a threat of the fire burning into the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Road, area and trail closures in effect. Unified Command: (North Zone) Alaska Type 1 Team (McDonald), & (South Zone) Cal Fire Team 5 (Parkes).

Other major fires currently burning in Northern California:

Antelope Fire – 59,127 acres
River Complex Fire – 53,009 acres
McCash Fire – 3,253 acres
McFarland Fire – 110,132 acres

As of last night, there is reportedly a new major fire burning in Southern California, near Lake Elsinor. I will be concentrating on Northern California fires in this thread, there are already too many of them.

Thanks, everyone, for reading this thread.

Anne