Aug. 22: Calm winds should aid firefighters on the Dixie today
After last evening’s ominous warning of where the Dixie Fire could spread next, let’s hope for some good news on the fire front today.
It doesn’t start out all that great — the Dixie Fire is now 721,298 acres and 37 percent contained. The better news is that calm winds are forecast today and for the next few days at least.
Greenville residents will begin being escorted to their homes for the first time since the fire ravaged them Aug. 4. Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns warned residents that it will be emotional.
East Zone
The two hot spots are expected to continue to be the Janesville/Milford and Taylorsville/Genesee areas.
Assessments from yesterday’s fire push toward Milford are ongoing. Today, firefighters will continue to reinforce the lines and work to minimize any spread toward the community. On the west side near the Janesville Grade, firefighters will use direct dozer lines to hold the fire perimeter in place. Spot fires continue to create challenging conditions. The southern edge continues to back down to the north end of the Walker fire scar, where crews are reinforcing the line at Boulder Road.
In Genesee Valley, firefighters continue to do structure prep and point protection as the fire continues to spread.
West Zone
On the West Zone, the long quiet Butte sector is seeing some needle cast, which means that if the needles blow onto areas that are still smoldering there is potential for a new ignition. Crews are monitoring.
Crews continue to make progress on other areas of the fire including the Mill Creek/Childs Meadow area, the Highway 36 corridor and near Susanville. The Lake Almanor Basin continues to look good.
The West Zone will hold a community meeting this evening at 7 p.m.
Here’s a progression map for the Dixie Fire released this morning by the USFS. These maps are not produced every day, but they clearly show the growth of the fire over time. Each day is a different color. This map is from July 14th through August 20th.
