California Dixie Fire Is Now the State’s Largest Single Wildfire in History
A car destroyed by the Dixie Fire sits on the roadside on August 9, 2021 near Greenville, California. The Dixie Fire, which has incinerated nearly 500,000 acres, is the second-largest recorded wildfire in state history and remains only 21 percent contained. Maranie R. Staab/Getty Images

California is experiencing wildfires right now, with the Dixie Fire being the largest single wildfire in the state's history. The Dixie Fire has managed to overtake other complex fires in the state's Top 20 largest fires list.

It has surpassed the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire and SCU Complex Fire, which burned 459,123 acres and 396,634 acres, respectively, Gizmodo reported. This made the Dixie Fire officially the second-largest in state history and the biggest single fire on record in California.

California Air Resources Board data show that wildfires are the largest source of tiny air pollution particles, which can cause lung and heart diseases.

In July, the Dixie Fire has started ravaging parts of the state, and it's only 25 percent contained now. Last week, it was 35 percent contained.

The Dixie Fire in California

Officials earlier forecasted that they expected to have the fire contained by August 20. However, they pushed back the prediction. They have now made the date more open-ended and changing the containment date into "to be determined."

Firefighters fighting the Dixie Fire in and around Gold Rush towns are now warning that the season of smoke and fire could hold the West in the incoming months.

Matt Sanders, a fire engine captain, said he has no doubt in his mind that it is just getting started, The New York Times reported.

The fire has already destroyed around 900 homes and buildings, with around 6,000 firefighters working against the blaze. More than 12,000 people in different counties are now under evacuation orders as the fire continues to grow.

Meanwhile, the Dixie Fire had ravaged the town of Greenville last week, threatening around 14,000 more structures, according to an NPR report.

The Plumas County Sheriff's Office noted that the 27 people who had previously been unaccounted for are now safe. The sheriff's office advised residents not to try to return to their homes before evacuation orders are lifted.

Plumas, Butte, Lassen, and Tehama are included in the list of evacuation orders for the area and its communities. The evacuation list has been changing rapidly due to the fire's erratic behavior.

California Wildfire

The smoke from 108 large fires in the West had decreased the air quality in the eastern U.S. this week. New York City, Iowa, and Minnesota are currently experiencing hazy skies, Axios reported.

Wildfires are being intensified by drought and climate change. It is also considered to be the largest source of deadly air pollution in California.

The recent search had shown that the smoke might actually grow more toxic as it ages. It undergoes chemical changes and blows across the country.

Mary Prunicki, director of the air pollution and health research at the Sean N. Parker Center for Asthma and Allergy Research at Stanford University, said that smoke gets worse as it ages.

Smoke from California's fires and high ozone levels have turned the air in Salt Lake City and Denver into some of the dirtiest in the world. It is even considered more harmful than Delhi or Beijing in recent days.

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Written by: Mary Webber

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