Crews battling California's mammoth Dixie fire brace for high winds

SUMMARY

Critical fire weather throughout the region threatens to spread multiple wildfires burning in Northern California.

By APAug 17, 2021 2:06:04 PM IST (Updated)

Gusty winds drove the US' largest wildfire toward a Northern California county seat as firefighters struggled to contain the month-old blaze amid forecasts of more dangerous weather.

Afternoon winds gusting to 30 mph (48 kph) on Monday pushed the Dixie Fire within a few miles of the town of Susanville and prompted evacuation orders for Janesville, a small nearby mountain community, fire officials said.

Ash fell from the advancing fire and a Police Department statement urged residents “to be alert and be ready to evacuate” if the fire threatens the city, although no formal evacuation warning had been issued.

Bulldozers had cut fire lines in the path of the northward-trending blaze but “a lot of our lines are getting tested now,” fire spokesman David Janssen said.

Investigations are continuing, but Pacific Gas & Electric has notified utility regulators that the Dixie and Fly fires may have been caused by trees falling into its power lines.

The Dixie Fire began near the town of Paradise, which was devastated by a 2018 wildfire ignited by PG&E equipment during strong winds. Eighty-five people died.