The fuels are "above the 97th percentile in terms of receptivity for ignition," Matlow said. They are up against highly unfavorable conditions, including gusts of wind of up to 40 mph, 100-degree heat, low humidity and extremely dry fuels. "We're fighting this fire as aggressively as we can."įire crews are also working to prevent the fire from spreading into Chester and other communities around Lake Almanor. "All of that is happening on this fire with as many resources as we can muster," Matlow said. Google Maps shows that the Dixie Fire has moved into Lassen Volcanic National Park. Aircraft are dropping fire retardant and water onto the flames, while firefighters battle the flames on the ground with hoses and nozzles. There are also dozer lines augmented with hand crews. That includes primary lines, contingency lines and emergency lines that are now under construction. "Everything that we can do to keep it inside the box we are trying to keep it in is being done." "For this morning’s briefing, the control objective was to keep out of the park," said Mitch Matlow, Cal Fire's public information officer for the Dixie incident. The entire park is closed to all uses to allow for firefighter access.- Lassen Volcanic NP August 5, 2021 The entire park is temporarily closed to all uses due to the #DixieFire, which is active on the east side of the park. Now burning more than 322,502 acres, the Dixie Fire exploded overnight, swallowing the historic town of Greenville and pushing north towards Lassen, a 106,452-acre park featuring volcanoes and hydrothermal areas surrounded by conifer forests, wildflower meadows and clear mountain lakes.Īccording to the park's Twitter account, the entire park is temporarily closed to all uses because of the fire, which is active on the east side of the park. Zuniga said further information would be available in a Facebook live update at 7 p.m. “As far as how much acreage it has burned into that area, we can’t break that up.” “We believe it reached Lassen this morning,” Cal Fire spokesperson Edwin Zuniga said. What is now the sixth largest fire in California history has entered one of California's most treasured natural places: Lassen Volcanic National Park. "We are hoping some of those rare species will make it through minimally impacted," he said.Īug. According to Sweeney, endangered species such as the Sierra Nevada red fox and the pika inhabit those same areas. Park officials are deeply concerned about the entire park, he said, but were hopeful that some scree-covered areas with less vegetation could stop the fire's progression. He did not have information yet on the fate of several residential cabins at Juniper Lake, which were grandfathered in when the park was created. "Our fire behavior is further on the spectrum than the word extreme."Īn evacuation of the threatened park is underway, with park rangers on foot making contact with visitors to get everyone out safely, Sweeney said. "Our fuels are insanely receptive," said park spokesperson Kevin Sweeney. A long, thick tendril of the Dixie Fire has exploded up through Lassen Volcanic National Park, burning over Mount Harkness and Juniper Lake on a destructive path into the heart of the park. She recommended owners of those cabins contact their insurance companies.Īug. Forest Service cabins that are under a special-use permit, a spokesperson for the park said. The Dixie Fire has moved into Lassen Volcanic National Park and swept through the Silver Lake area, near where there are a number of U.S. Over the past two weeks, smoke from the Dixie Fire has cast a yellow glow over Lassen Volcanic National Park. "It is a full suppression effort," Sweeney said. On Sunday and Monday the fire continued on its destructive path to the southeast, and park spokesperson Kevin Sweeney provided SFGATE with an updated figure: 9,013 acres have now burned.įire crews are working to protect structures throughout the park, according to Sweeney, and because the fire has been shifting and moving "incredibly fast," resources are having to constantly be reassigned. So we will report that out to the public as soon as we can confirm any losses."Īs of Saturday night, Richardson announced that approximately 8,000 acres had burned. "There are other resources at risk, particularly facilities. So that's our first loss from this fire in the park," Richardson said. an infrared flight and also a pilot confirmed that visually. But he then confirmed that the historic Mount Harkness fire lookout had burned down. Richardson had a small amount of good news: that the fire had not yet reached Drakesbad Guest Ranch. After entering the park last Thursday, the fire "ran nearly the length of the entire park up to near Butte Lake," Richardson announced Saturday night during a livestreamed briefing on Facebook.
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