The Dixie fire, which continues to burn in Northern California, is threatening nearly 14,000 structures and is now the state’s third largest wildfire ever.
It ripped through the historic mining town of Greenville, burning three-quarters of its structures, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The fire burned nearly 433,000 acres as of Friday morning and was 35 percent contained. The Dixie fire now trails only 2018’s Mendocino Complex fire and last year’s August Complex fire as the largest in California’s recorded history.
The Dixie fire started in the middle of last month and by the end of the month had burned 240,000 acres.
The only good news is that it has burned fewer structures than recent wildfires of comparable size.
Last year was by far the worst on record for wildfires in terms of size. Around 4 million acres burned in 2020, double the previous record set in 2018. Those fires killed 31 people and destroyed 8,200 structures.
Another wildfire rages about 55 miles southeast of the Dixie fire. The River fire has burned only 2,600 acres but has already destroyed 76 structures.
Around 5,200 people were forced to evacuate in Nevada and Placer counties. The fire is 15 percent contained as of Thursday morning.
[LAT] — Dennis Lynch