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Agence France-Presse

A huge wildfire tearing through northern California became the third-largest in the state’s history on Friday, and looked set to continue growing.
A long-term drought that scientists say is driven by climate change has left the Western United States parched – and vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires.
The Dixie Fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometres since it erupted in mid-July.
Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns, who is helping to coordinate the fight against the fire, said the destruction was devastating.
Wildfire wipes out California Gold Rush town
“I am a lifelong resident of Greenville. My heart is crushed by what has occurred there,” he told a briefing on Thursday.
“To the folks that have lost residences and businesses … their life is now forever changed.
“All I can tell you is: I’m sorry.”
The town of Greenville stood charred and in ruins on Friday, with timber structures gone completely and some stone buildings reduced to rubble.


Johns said there were no injuries so far from the huge blaze, but stressed it was vital that people in the path of the fire heed evacuation warnings.
“This fire is not over. If that plume is anywhere near your direction … you need to prepare. Wherever the wind blows this fire, that’s where it’s going to go.”
More than 5,000 personnel are battling the blaze, which is sending enormous clouds of smoke into the air that are easily visible from space.
Incident managers said on Friday they were expecting gusting winds would fan the blaze.

Those winds, coupled with steep terrain and an abundance of very dry vegetation, were fuelling the flames and making the work of firefighters more difficult.
The Dixie Fire grew overnight by a fifth, to more than 174,000 hectares, making it larger than the Bootleg Fire that has laid waste to a swathe of Oregon over the last month.
Thousands of square kilometres of the Western United States have burned this year, an alarming result of the warming planet that has affected weather patterns.
By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 per cent from 2020 – itself the worst year of wildfires in the state’s modern history.

The Dixie Fire has evoked painful memories of the Paradise Fire, the deadliest blaze in California’s recent history.
Faulty power lines sparked that inferno, which swept through the northern town of Paradise in 2018, killing 86 people. Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest energy utility firm, was deemed responsible.
PG&E equipment is again being blamed for the Dixie Fire, after a tree fell on a power conductor the day the blaze began.
The utility announced in late July it will bury 16,000 kilometres of power lines in a massive bid to prevent its equipment from igniting more deadly wildfires.
Greenville itself is no stranger to fire disasters. A catastrophic blaze destroyed much of the town in 1881, and several major infernos have threatened residents in the intervening 140 years.


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United States

Dixie Fire: third-largest blaze in California history burns hundreds of thousands of hectares

A home is engulfed in flames during the Dixie Fire in Greenville, California. Photo: AFP

Evacuated Chester resident April Phillips hugs their family dog at an evacuation center for the Dixie fire in Susanville, California on August 6, 2021. - Philips and her family have been living in their vehicles and were told that it will be at least 10 days before they can return home. A huge wildfire tearing through northern California became the third largest in the state's history Friday, and looked set to continue growing. The Dixie Fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometers (650 square miles) since it erupted in mid-July. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)

TOPSHOT - A patriotic banner is seen in front of a burned out property during the Dixie fire in Greenville, California on August 6, 2021. - A huge wildfire tearing through northern California became the third-largest in the state's history August 6, 2021, and looked set to continue growing. The Dixie Fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometers (650 square miles) since it erupted in mid-July. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)

Dozens of burned vehicles rest in heavy smoke in Greenville, California. Photo: AFP

Canada heatwave: wildfire consumes Lytton, small town that hit record 49.6 degrees Celsius

Structures destroyed by wildfire in Lytton, British Columbia. Photo: AP

A view shows a wildfire seen from an airplane, in Lytton, British Columbia, Canada June 30, 2021 in this picture obtained from social media on July 1, 2021. Karin Schmidlin/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Flames rise from a burning building along a street during a wildfire in Lytton, British Columbia, Canada June 30, 2021 in this still image obtained from a social media video on July 1, 2021. 2 RIVERS REMIX SOCIETY/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MUST CREDIT "2 RIVERS REMIX SOCIETY / VIMEO.2RMX.CA".

Martha Van Dyke of Lytton sits in her car with her cats, Tigger and Kona after a wildfire that raged through her town forced residents to evacuate, outside of Lytton, British Columbia, Canada July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

‘We lost Greenville’: wildfire wipes out California Gold Rush town

The aftermath of the Dixie Fire in Greenville, California. Photo: AP

A home is engulfed in flames as the Dixie fire rages on in Greenville, California on August 5, 2021. - The largest wildfire in California has razed a small town, warping street lights and destroying historic buildings hours after residents were ordered to flee. Greenville, an Indian Valley settlement of a few hundred people dating back to the mid-1800s Gold Rush, was engulfed by flames as winds whipped the inferno towards the community, turning the sky orange. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)

TOPSHOT - A deer jumps onto a business property as the Dixie fire approaches downtown Greenville, California on July 23, 2021. - The Dixie fire, which started only a few miles from the deadly Camp fire, has churned through nearly150,000 acres and continues to burn towards rural communities. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)

A fire-damaged street sign marks Main Street in a decimated downtown Greenville, California during the Dixie fire on August 5, 2021. - The largest wildfire in California has razed a small town, warping street lights and destroying historic buildings hours after residents were ordered to flee. Greenville, an Indian Valley settlement of a few hundred people dating back to the mid-1800s Gold Rush, was engulfed by flames as winds whipped the inferno towards the community, turning the sky orange. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP)

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The fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometres since it erupted in mid-July
Gusting winds, coupled with steep terrain were fuelling the flames and making the work of firefighters more difficult



The fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometres since it erupted in mid-July.


Climate change