Daily US Times: Fire racing through rugged terrain in Northern California destroyed multiple homes on Saturday as the state’s largest wildfire intensified along with numerous other blazes battered the US West.
The Dixie fire had already destroyed over a dozen houses and other structures when it tore through the tiny community of Indian Falls after dark. The fire started July 14.
An updated damage estimate wasn’t available immediately, though officials said the blaze has charred more than 73,200 hectares (181,000 acres) in Plumas and Butte counties and was 20% contained.
Officials said that the flame was burning in a remote area where firefighters have limited access, hampering firefighters’ efforts as it charged eastward. It has prompted evacuation orders in the west shore of Lake Almanor, a popular area getaway along with several small communities.
Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in the United States, southern Oregon’s Bootleg fire, was nearly halfway surrounded on Saturday as more than 2,200 crew members worked to corral it in the wind and heat, fire officials said. The growth of the sprawling flame had slowed, but authorities said that thousands of homes remained threatened on its eastern side.
Jim Hanson, fire behavior analyst, said: “This fire is resistant to stopping at dozer lines.” In a news release from the Oregon Department of Forestry, he said: “With the critically dry weather and fuels we are experiencing, firefighters are having to constantly reevaluate their control lines and look for contingency options.”
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