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A small town in California was largely destroyed on Tuesday. The second wildfire in the state was nearly leveled in two weeks as firefighters worked to contain dangerously widespread wildfires near the community.
Wildfires in Auroville spurred a new evacuation order on Tuesday. Strong winds helped it grow and push up huge flames within about eight miles of the population of about 18,000 in Susanville, California.
Pacific Gas and Electric said late Tuesday that it began cutting off power to about 51,000 customers in 18 counties in Northern California to prevent wildfires. Utilities have enacted a blockade as a precautionary measure to prevent gusts from damaging power lines and causing flames in dry crater areas already suffering from a series of wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes. Announced that it has started.
Meanwhile, in the southeast, a small flame called Caldor Fire exploded from about 1,200 towns, Grizzly Flats.
Few homes remained standing in Grizzly Flats. There, power lines and utility poles were scattered on the road. The house turned into smoldering ashes and twisted metal, with only the chimney towering above the ruins. The post office and elementary school were also destroyed.
It marks the second Northern California community destroyed by this month’s flames, as thousands of inhabitants fled without guarantee that their homes would be there when they returned.Dixie Fire Gold Rush Town of Greenville August 4th, about 2 weeks ago. The flames left traces of destruction in the historic downtown area, which features buildings built in the 1800s and the 1849 gold rush. Gas stations, hotels and bars were among the many fixtures destroyed by the flames.
Abandoned town: An unforgettable photo of the aftermath of a wildfire in California
“The next 24 hours will be important”: Dixie Fire approaches a big town
The Dixie fire has exploded since its inception on July 13. At 944 square miles, it is the largest single wildfire in state history and the largest of nearly 100 major wildfires burning in more than 12 western states. Most wildfires are fueled by high temperatures, strong winds and dry weather, and trees, brushes and grasslands are crater-flammable.
Climate change will continue to make the western United States warmer, drier, more extreme weather, and more destructive wildfires over the last three decades, according to scientists.
Susanville, the county seat of Lassen County and the largest city close to the Dixie fire, has been heavily resourced. Mark Brunton, chief of operations at the California Department of Forestry and Fire, said 15,000 residents were warned that they were ready to evacuate due to the approaching Dixie fire.
“It’s not out of place, and the next 24 hours will be important to watch what the fire does there,” he told an online briefing.
After a spot fire broke out on Monday night, firefighters protected the house and pushed the Dixie fire back out of the Janesville community. But it was a fight to keep it that way as the wind pushed the flames towards Susanville and Janesville on Tuesday.
The crew on Monday “could set fire around most of the community,” Brunton said.
He said the fire destroyed several structures along the Highway 395 Corridor, crossed the highway and continued to spread east. The wind tests a firebreak made by firefighters.
DixieFire spokeswoman Luis Jimenez said new developments could support or interfere with firefighting operations, depending on the direction of the wind, as the flames reach the sage-brushed terrain. He advised residents of the Susanville area to prepare to evacuate and consider leaving early.
“The best thing is to make a plan if you have a warning, or if you’re in an area where you’re told there’s a warning,” Jimenez said. “You don’t have to wait until you actually get your order. It’s better to be safe and go out now before things get confused.”
Nevada school administrators are delaying start time due to wildfire smoke
Beyond the Nevada border, school managers delayed the start time of Reno Spark due to a wildfire smoke cloak from a Dixie fire covering the area. Smoke from the Cardor fire was also seen from northern Nevada.
According to the National Fire Interagency Center, there were 20 fires in Montana and nearly 50 more in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
In Montana, authorities ordered several remote communities in central and northern Montana to evacuate on Tuesday as strong winds propelled large-scale wildfires into residential areas.
KOJM reported that the forced evacuation targeted Lodgepole, a town of about 300 people on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and Zotoman, an old mining town with about 20 people.
Contributed by: Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY; Associated Press
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: A huge Dixie fire near destroying a small town in California
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