California Dixie Fire Now Second Largest in State History

by mcardinal

Justin Bullock, FISM News

 

With historically high temperatures and horrible drought, California is now experiencing the second largest wildfire in the state’s history. The Dixie Fire, burning in Northern California, is now approximately 724 square miles. The fire has generated a burn area that is now bigger than the area occupied by the city of Houston, Texas. In addition, as of Sunday morning, only 21% of the fire is contained.

Fire crews are scrambling to contain the historic blaze but work is difficult and slow. Thankfully, no deaths have been recorded as of yet. However, thousands of people have had to be evacuated. In addition, hundreds of buildings have been burned down and hundreds more are at risk of being burned. In fact, one of Northern California’s historic gold mining towns, Greenville, has been completely destroyed by the wildfire.

Fire crews are reporting difficulty in fighting the blaze as everything due to dry conditions and incredible heat. The heat is so bad that it significantly inhibits the firefighters’ actions and also evaporates water used to quench the flames before it hits the fire. Despite these challenges, the firefighters are giving their best effort to contain the flames and keep Californians safe.

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