By July 30, Dixie covered 240,595 acres of land and became the 11th most devastating wildfire in the history of the state. In late July, the Dixie Fire merged with the smaller Fly Fire. As of July 21, the fire was put down by only 15 %. Canyons, valleys, and peaks acted like chimneys. The rocky terrain on Dixie’s way hampered the work of fire crews and thus created favorable conditions for the fire to spread. Such clouds typically appear during volcanic eruptions. Additionally, the fire was so violent that it created its own giant cloud, which could generate lightning bolts and thus produce more fires. After that, the Dixie Fire headed along the Feather River Canyon to the western shore of Lake Almanor.ĭry grass made it easy for the fire to spread even faster. By the end of the day, the fire was raging already on 2,200 acres of land and was not going to stop. Wind gusts and low humidity contributed to its growth. The next day, the fire grew to 500 acres. According to a report by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., on July 13, 2021, a worker in the Feather River Canyon area found two blown fuses and a large tree leaning against a power line wire. Like many other recent environmental disasters, the Dixie Fire started with human error.
Additionally, low-intensity firefighting activities had the most significant impact on the elimination of the fire’s worst effects. According to the research team, the fire’s history determined much of its severity. The firefighting efforts cost $ 637 million and lasted nearly two months, making Dixie the most extensive and expensive fire in California history. Having analyzed Dixie’s growth trajectory, researchers came to the conclusion that the largest growth spikes occurred on days with high temperatures, low humidity, and high winds. The Dixie Fire covered almost 1 million acres in California.
For example, over the past two years, they scorched an area larger than the total area of New Jersey and Vermont. In recent years, wildfires have become more intense. Table source: Insurance Information Institute Additionally, climate change contributed to the fact that the land and plants become even drier than usual and thus more favorable for a fire to spread. Combined with the dry weather, this vegetation acts as fuel for a fire. Plants growing in this region consist of dry grass, shrubs, and pine needles, which are very easy to ignite. Because of its Mediterranean climate, the state is dry most of the year, with rains falling only in winter, which is followed by dry and hot summers. The Dixie Fire affected five counties in the state - Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama.Īccording to statistics, California is the most wildfire-prone state in the U.S., mostly due to natural factors. The fire’s unofficial name was “Monster” – exactly with this word many newspapers and online resources referred to this natural disaster. The blaze got its name after Dixie Road, near which the fire began in Butte County. Known under the name of “Dixie”, it became the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history. In the middle of July 2021, a large forest fire broke out in northern California.
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