Dixie Fire now 13,482 acres and 14 percent contained

During tonight’s July 17 p.m. briefing for the Dixie Fire, it was reported that the fire is now 13,482 acres and 14 percent contained with 1,669 personnel working it.

Operations Section Chief Sean Norman, from Cal Fire, once again gave a progress report on the various flanks of the fire. He said crews remain focused on Division F, which is “critical to Butte County.” Though there is line around this area, the concern is burning trees and debris rolling down from above and getting ahead of the containment line. “Troops are building trenches to catch that material,” Norman said.

Moving up the west side of the fire, Norman said that Division M has been painted heavily with retardant and Division P is holding.

In Division Q, the area that produced the giant columns of smoke today, the fire is making a run to the Chips Creek drainage. Norman said that multiple contingency lines are being built ahead of the fire.

In Division W, the fire is backing its way down to Highway 70. “We are going to allow the fire to come down to the railroad tracks,” Norman said. Firefighters are stationed in Tobin and Storrie to address the fire as it reaches the highway.

Norman addressed the difficulty of fighting fire in the Feather River Canyon and described it as the “most challenging place” to fight fire for two reasons.

First it’s necessary to “fight two fires every day,” he said. Firefighters battle the daytime blaze that pushes the fire up canyon and then when the wind reverses, the original heel becomes the head of the fire and can be pushed out of its containment.

The second issue is the sheer cliff that firefighters have to battle.

The winds are going to continue to plague the firefighters. For the past few days southwesterly winds have blown throughout the day in the 10-15 mph range, with gusts up to 25 in the afternoon. Northeast winds increase overnight especially along the ridges, and in Jarbo Gap, pushing the fire in the opposite direction.

The same pattern will hold for tomorrow, but will begin to change tomorrow night, as the threat of a thunderstorm looms, although the potential is greater to the south and east of the fire. The biggest concern for firefighters is strong outflow winds. The pattern develops again Monday night, before it shifts back into the typical southwest flow and continues dry Tuesday through Friday.

Unified Incident Commander Shannon Prather, representing the USFS, said that the Lassen and Plumas national forest are working closely on the fire with Cal Fire. He also addressed the impacts smoke is having on the surrounding communities with ash falling in Chester, Westwood, and Greenville. “It is going to be something we will be dealing with for the foreseeable future,” Prather said.

But he is optimistic. “Operations has as a solid plan to get around this fire,” he said. “High degree of confidence that we are going to make really good progress.”

The Dixie Fire broke out July 13 at 5:15 p.m. and the cause remains under investigation.

Evacuation orders remain in place for High Lakes recreational area, as well from the Plumas/Butte County Line to the Rock Creek Dam. This includes both sides of Highway 70 in the areas of Rock Creek, Storrie and Tobin. Residents who need assistance should call 530-283-6300.

The Plumas National Forest is closed in the fire area and the Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Bucks Summit and mile 1301.5 north with an evacuation warning to mile 1306. Northbound hikers must leave the trail at or before Bucks Summit, travel to Quincy, and on to Chester (mile 1331). Plumas Transit runs between the two towns. Southbound travelers do the opposite.

Another fire briefing will be held Sunday evening, also at 7 p.m., on the CalFire Butte Co. Facebook page.