A California fire fighter assigned to battling a massive fire that has burned more than 889,000 acres has died from an illness, a report has claimed.
According to NBC Bay Area, a U.S. Forest Service spokesperson told the network on Saturday that a fire fighter employed with the Lassen National Forest (LNF) had died.
The network added the fire fighter had died from an illness unrelated to the ongoing Dixie Fire.
No other details related to the first responder's death had been released as of Sunday morning.
Fire fighters continue to battle the Dixie Fire, which was first reported on July 14 and has since spread across five counties in northern California.
An incident update, released on Friday, reported one first responder had died, while another three had been injured.
It was not confirmed whether the fatality was related to the fire fighter who had succumbed to an illness.
The same report also said 688 "single residences" and eight "multiple residences" had been destroyed in the fire.
In a further update on the situation on the blaze, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Twitter: "#DixieFire above the Cresta Dam, Feather River Canyon in Butte, Plumas, Lassen and Tehama Counties is 889,001 acres and 56 percent contained."
According to the LA Times, more than 3,800 fire fighters have been deployed in a bid to contain the massive Dixie Fire blaze.
Newsweek has contacted the LNF for comment.
Numerous photos shared on the Lassen National Forest (LNF) Facebook page showed the massive fire's spread across the region as well as air operations to help contain it.
In a post shared on Saturday, the LNF said of its operations: "Fire was very active in the Coyote Hills, Horton Ridge and Ross Canyon areas this afternoon. Fire fighters building line on the fire's southeastern edge were challenged by shifting winds as the fire progressed southeast to dense forest fuels.
"Additionally crews were in Dixie Valley protecting structures. Aircraft were assisting crews with retardant and water drops."
A National Interagency Fire Center situation report shared on Facebook on Saturday said there were currently 16 new fires in northern California and, of those, 10 were uncontained large fires.
It added 225 soldiers from the 23rd brigade Engineer Battalion and 2-3 Infantry Battalion based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord are supporting fire fighters in the Dixie Fire.
One Boeing 737 air tanker from Australia is also supporting the fire suppression effort, according to the same report.
