These dangerous fires were part of more than 100 large blazes that burned across 15 states, most notably in the West where drought conditions have made it difficult for land to be ignited.
Officials said Tuesday’s afternoon winds increased and the east end of Northern California’s Dixie Fire flared up.
The fire has destroyed more than 1,045 structures, including 550 homes in northern Sierra Nevada, after consuming bone-dry brush, grass and trees. Satellite imagery released last week showed the extent of the destruction to the small town of Greenville, which was set on fire by an explosion of flames.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Dixie Fire was 70% contained by Wednesday morning. It was named after the road it began on July 14. At least 14,000 homes in remote areas were still at risk.
The Dixie Fire, the largest single fire in California’s history and currently the largest burning in the United States, is the largest. It is half the size the August Complex, which is a series lightning-caused 2020 fires in seven counties. The August Complex was fought together and officials call California’s largest wildfire.
Investigators are still investigating the cause of the fire. Pacific Gas & Electric suggested that the fire may have been started by a tree falling on one of their power lines.
California authorities arrested a man who was suspected of setting an arson fire in remote forest areas near the Dixie Fire.
The suspect, 47, was accused of setting small flames in Lassen County. This is one of the areas where the bigger blazes are burning. It happened around July 20.
Communities in the area of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation were forced to flee as the Richard Spring Fire, which was raging amid strong winds, erupted.
Lame Deer was one of the orders. People who fled the fire on Tuesday morning sought shelter from the flames, but were forced to flee again the next night as the fire grew closer to them. This town, which is home to approximately 2,000 people, is also home to several subdivisions and the tribal headquarters. It is surrounded by rugged, wooded terrain.
Ashland, a small community just outside the reservation that has a handful of businesses and is surrounded by grasslands as well as patchy forest, was also ordered to leave.
Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton stated that no homes were reported to have been destroyed. Two homes, one near Lame Deer, caught fire on Tuesday. They were all saved. Fulton stated that Sheriff’s Deputies used fire extinguishers to control the flames, and a passing helicopter dropped water to put out the fire.
On Wednesday, heavy winds were expected to return to the region. Authorities were worried that the fire might advance again towards Ashland or Lame Deer.
They reached a subdivision just outside Ashland, along the Tongue River, and were within a few miles of the town on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, powerful gusts caused the blaze’s explosion over more than 230 miles (600 kilometers). The fire also jumped creeks and fire lines that were created to stop it growing. Wednesday morning, it was at 0%.
Wildfires in the American West are now more difficult to combat due to heat waves and droughts that have been linked to climate change.
Scientists believe climate change has made the region warmer and dryer over the past 30 year. This will continue to increase extreme weather and make wildfires more destructive and frequent. Large fires are raging across the West as other parts of Europe are experiencing large blazes due to tinder-dry conditions.