U.S. Wildfires Live Updates: Dixie Fire Devastates California Town of Greenville, Evacuation Orders in Place
California's largest wildfire of the year has scorched communities in the northern part of the state.
The Dixie Fire has burned at least 322,502 acres and is only 35 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). This is the sixth-largest fire in California's history.
The fire began on July 14 and spread rapidly across the state. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, California has experienced severe drought, high temperatures and gusty winds – prime conditions for a wildfire to spread.
"These are not the normal fires anymore," Jake Cagle, an operations section chief for California Incident Management, said at a briefing Wednesday night. "It's just intense fire behavior, and it's not what we're used to."
The town of Greenville has been devastated by the fire. Local sheriffs and emergency officials are urging residents to follow evacuation orders, as the fires move fast.
"When the sheriff of the county says it's time to evacuate, we cannot hesitate," California Office of Emergency Services Chief of law enforcement Mark Pazin said.
Evacuation orders have been issued in areas of Plumas, Butte, Lassen and Tehama counties. The National Weather Service has issued a Reg Flag Warning in the area, as extreme fire behavior is expected to occur over the next 24 hours.
There are 100 wildfires currently active nationally. They have burned nearly 2 million acres of land in 14 states. The National Weather Service says the breezy winds, extreme dryness and low humidity across the west create "critical fire weather conditions" that could make fires easier to spread.
The live updates for this event have ended.

Thousands under an evacuation order, warning in Nevada County California
Thousands of residents in Nevada County, California are at risk from the River Fire, according to the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services.
There are 4,298 residents under an evacuation order, which means there is an immediate threat to life and "there is a lawful order to leave now."
There are 5,375 residents under an evacuation warning, meaning there is a potential threat to life and/or property.
There are 4,298 Nevada County residents under a evacuation ORDER and 5,375 residents under an evacuation WARNING for the #RiverFire. Find info on evacuations at https://t.co/IXpM0RWWBS and info on evacuation terms at https://t.co/25YpCDQdsQ. pic.twitter.com/hBb9eYqiNh
— Nevada County OES (@NevCoOES) August 5, 2021
Dixie Fire is 6th largest fire in California history
The Dixie Fire is the 6th largest fire in California history at 322,502 acres.
According to Cal Fire, six out of the seven largest wildfires in California history have occurred since 2020.
The #DixieFire is now the 6th largest fire in CA history at 322,502 acres. As we head into the weekend, triple digit temps are expected in many parts of CA! Avoid the sparks that start wildfires by never using outdoor equipment or driving a vehicle on dead or dry grass. pic.twitter.com/SsXWRlIGth
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 5, 2021
McFarland Fire grows in Shasta-Trinity National Forest
The McFarland Fire burning in the Shasta-Trinity National Forrest in northern California has reached 23,409 acres and is seven percent contained.
The #McFarlandFire is currently mapped at 23,409 acres and is 7% contained. Firefighters have worked in hot and extremely dry conditions that have made fuels highly susceptible to ignition. pic.twitter.com/qwAGvHkftV
— Shasta-Trinity NF (@ShastaTrinityNF) August 5, 2021
The hot and extremely dry conditions coupled with the steep and difficult terrain has made battling the flames difficult for firefighter crews, Shasta-Trinity National Forest said.
The area is experiencing Red Flag conditions, dangerous amounts of smoke and has issued several evacuation warnings for Shasta, Trinity and Plumas County. t
River Fire grows, containment remains at 0%
As of Thursday, the River Fire has reached 2,400 acres and is not contained at all.
According to a report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the River Fire has destroyed or damaged 80 structures and threatened 3,4000 others. No casualties or injures have been reported.
Evacuation orders are still in effect in Placer and Nevada County.
#RiverFire off Milk Ranch Road and Bear River Campground Road, north of Applegate in Placer and Nevada County is 2400 acres. @CALFIRENEU https://t.co/E9T9fQAX96
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 5, 2021
Evacuation information: https://t.co/c5ILkhArqT pic.twitter.com/l52knApMQi
100 fires have burned nearly 2 million acres nationally
There are currently 100 wildfires that have burned almost 2,000,000 acres of land nationally.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 1,947, 811 acres have been burned in 14 states. Nine new large fires were reported yesterday in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
The California Office of Emergency Services urge residents to take evacuation orders seriously
The chief of law enforcement for the California Office of Emergency Services shared a video to urge residents to take evacuation orders seriously.
Mark Pazin stood in front of the remaining debris of a burned down home in Butte County to show "the intensity of the fire, how fast it went and the importance of when the sheriff of the county says it's time to evacuate, we cannot hesitate."
He said evacuation orders can go from advisory to mandate "in the snap of a finger."
Reminder to listen to local law enforcement in regards to evacuation orders; these orders are not issued lightly.
— Cal OES (@Cal_OES) August 5, 2021
Don’t wait to evacuate. #DixieFire #RiverFire https://t.co/kjEf5Yy4oa
California Gov. Newsom secures grant to help fight the River Fire
California Governor Gavin Newson announced that California secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide rapid economic assistance to communities impacted by the River Fire in Nevada and Placer Counties and help secure resources to battle the flames.
The Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) will allow local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75 percent reimbursement on their fire suppression costs.
We are actively monitoring the #RiverFire & #DixieFire while working closely with local officials to support the communities being threatened.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) August 5, 2021
Our thoughts are with all those impacted. Thank you to the firefighters & first responders working to contain these fires across CA.
Dixie Fire grew 50,000 acres overnight
The Dixie Fire has grown 50,000 acres overnight, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said in their report Thursday morning.
The fire now covers 322,502 acres and is 35 percent contained. The report said over 12,400 structures are threatened and 50 have either been destroyed or damaged.
There are no reports of firefighter or civilian injuries or casualties at this time. Evacuation advisories and road closures are still in effect in Plumas, Butte, Lassen and Tehama counties
Red flag warnings remain in effect until 8:00 p.m. Thursday.

Critical fire conditions continue in California, National Weather Service says
Critical fire weather conditions continue in northern California Thursday as the Dixie Fire continues.
The National Weather Service station in Sacramento said that the combination of breezy winds and low humidity can make fires easier to start and quicker to spread.
Breezy winds continue today. These winds along with low humidity and extremely dry fuels will bring critical fire weather conditions and a Red Flag Warning continues for northern portions of the area. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/47UKDOjBUK
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) August 5, 2021
The NWS Sacramento also shared satellite data showing how the Dixie Fire has grown over the past 24 hours.
Critical fire weather conditions yesterday led to further growth of the #DixieFire. Here is the latest satellite data showing growth over the past 24 hours. Critical fire weather conditions will continue through today. #CAwx #CAfire pic.twitter.com/5256brdrF9
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) August 5, 2021
NOAA shares satellite video of wildfire smoke
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared satellite video of the smoke from wildfires over Northern California.
As #wildfires continue to consume portions of the western U.S., @NOAA satellites are closely monitoring the situation. This imagery of several large ones and the smoke they're producing in Northern California was captured yesterday by the #GOESWest 🛰️. pic.twitter.com/nziJPsEnt7
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 5, 2021
Lighting strikes in Oregon causes new wildfire clusters
More than 3,000 lightning strikes over the past week have ignited wildfire clusters across Oregon.
There are currently 12 large wildfires and wildfire complexes in the state, impacting 464,961 acres, according to the Northwest Coordination Center (NWCC).
As of Thursday, the large Bootleg Fire is 84 percent contained.
As of Wednesday, August 4, there are 23 large uncontained 🔥 fires and complexes in the Pacific Northwest -- 12 in Oregon and 11 in Washington.
— Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (@NWCCInfo) August 4, 2021
This NEW map 🗺 shows the exact locations of all the wildland fires in the region!#besafeoutthere #ReadyForWildfire #FireYear2021 pic.twitter.com/IZVDVh2xkQ
Many parts of the state, including the Willamette Valley, are experiencing unhealthy air quality conditions due to a large amount of smoke.
Meteorologists were hoping that the rain forecasted earlier in the week would help relieve some of the flames, but rainfall seems less likely to happen now.
Temperatures are expected to drop, however, providing a much-needed break for fire management teams.
"Unfortunately, the way this pattern is shaping up, we're expecting more of a cool down than actual rain, which probably won't extinguish the fires as much as provide a brief pause in fire growth that maybe helps fire crews make progress, but not much else," John Saltenberger, fire weather meteorologists at the NWCC in Portland, told the Salem Statesman Journal.
96 fires are burning through 14 states, including Hawaii
As of Wednesday, there are 96 wildfires that have burned 1,883,541 acres of land in 14 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
#NationalFireNews Currently, 96 large fires have burned 1,883,541 acres in 14 states. 3 new large fires reported. More than 21,000 wildland firefighters and 26 Type 1 and Type 2 incident management teams are assigned to incidents across the United States. #FireYear2021 pic.twitter.com/FFWVxdYe4P
— National Interagency Fire Center (@NIFC_Fire) August 4, 2021
This includes the newest Mana Road Fire in Hawaii. It has burned about 40,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires reported in the state.
Hawaii Governor Davide Ige declared a state of emergency to activate funds to respond to the fire and the damage it has caused.