The largest wildfire in California is threatening thousands of homes.
The Dixie Fire has already destroyed 16 structures. Cal Fire officials say nearly 1,100 more in Butte and Plumas counties are at risk. It has now merged with the smaller Fly Fire. The Dixie Fire is now more than 190,000 acres and is only 21% contained. The blaze has been raging for 12 days in the area between Redding and Yuba City.
The fire’s growth has been fed by record-dry vegetation, low humidity and gusty winds funneling through the steep terrain. Efforts to fight it have been hampered by the remote location and an intensity that has lent itself to extreme behavior, with the fire at times creating its own weather patterns according to the Los Angeles Times.