

Meanwhile, about 100 miles north in Shasta County, evacuation orders were issued for the community of Old Station, as well as residences on roads between the Lassen National Park entrance and the Bridge Campground and residences on Highway 44 from the Lassen County line, as the Dixie Fire surged northward. It has destroyed 998 structures, damaged 80 and injured five people, per Cal Fire. 14, the fire has burned 217,946 acres and was 53% contained as of Thursday. “Our fire has a lot of heat interior, a lot of islands that have not been burned - that provides the opportunity for an ignition source, the winds provide the transport, and the convection will provide the lift to get those embers over our lines.”Īlthough the blaze has been largely contained along its western flank, crews were still racing to remove vegetation and trees, protect buildings with hoses and patrol areas near Kirkwood Mountain Resort near the fire’s southeastern finger and communities bordering South Lake Tahoe on the northeastern corner. “There is a big change in the weather, and it’s very critical that everybody pays attention to what’s going on,” Clark said. Rob Clark, a Cal Fire fire behavior analyst, warned crews that the gusty winds - and the prospect of lightning on the outskirts of the fire zone - could increase spotting up to three-quarters of a mile in front of the fire and put more trees at risk of falling. The 4,500 firefighters fighting the Caldor Fire in El Dorado, Alpine and Amador counties prepared for the shifting weather to usher in stormy conditions from the southwest toward the northeast, where crews have been largely successful so far in protecting the densely populated Lake Tahoe area. Friday from the Sacramento area all the way to north of Redding. Friday for the North and East Bay regions and until 11 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag warning in anticipation of intense winds and the threat of rain-free lightning. QUINCY – With a fresh round of dry lightning strikes and high, gusty winds expected to sweep across Northern California starting Thursday night, fire crews braced for increased fire danger that could both worsen conditions for the Dixie and Caldor firefights and potentially spark new blazes. Dixie Fire spurs new evacuation orders as crews brace for shift in weather
