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As the Sugar fire in Plumas neared the 100,000-acre mark, firefighters continued their efforts to contain the Dixie blaze in Butte County on Thursday.
Authorities estimated the size of the Dixie fire at 2,250 acres, according to Fire Captain Jacob Gilliam of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Butte County. The fire was not brought under control.
Gilliam said the fire was burning in the scar from the 2018 campfire, but was moving north, away from populated areas.
Yet the smoke and flames fuel traumatic memories for some who survived this terrible fire, which decimated the town of Paradise and killed more than 85 people.
“It’s a bit nerve-racking,” said David Little of the North Valley Community Foundation, which provides relief and recovery efforts to victims of the campfire. “The fire started a few kilometers away [away], on the same road, as the campfire in 2018. It’s really a feeling of déjà vu that makes you uncomfortable.
Gilliam said about 350 firefighters and support staff were assigned to the blaze on Thursday. Their priority will be the southwest perimeter of the fire, which is closest to populated areas in the county.
“There is a history of strong winds in the canyon in this area of Jarbo Gap, and so the firefighters are really trying to secure this southern and western flank,” he said.
Meteorologist Eric Kurth of the Sacramento National Weather Service said temperatures near the blaze would be in the upper 80s on Thursday. Pretty typical wind gusts of up to 17 mph can be expected.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for the High Lakes area and warnings were extended to the Rock Creek and Robin areas, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said.
Evacuation warnings were also extended in the Philbrook area to the Plumas County line, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said. A evacuation warning remains in place for the Pulga and East Concow areas.
Meanwhile, the Sugar fire in the Plumas National Forest continued to spread on Wednesday afternoon after conditions ground firefighting planes and fires spread to the west side of the boulevard Frenchman, officials said.
During an early morning briefing, US Forest Service operations section chief Jake Cagle said the afternoon had brought gusts of over 35 mph and the fire had started to generate swirls of fire.
“Unfortunately, due to the wind and the visibility of the smoke, we had to put our plane down,” which allowed the point fires to set in more, he said.
As of Thursday morning, the blaze had grown to 99,937 acres, poised to become the state’s first 100,000-acre “mega-fire” of the year.
The Sugar Fire is part of the Beckwourth Complex, which also contains the 594 acre Dotta Fire which is 99% contained. Together, they’ve already passed the 100,000-acre threshold.
On the way to the fires, the Lassen County sheriff’s office expanded compulsory evacuation order to areas including Doyle Proper on the west side of US 395, from Laura Drive to County Road A26. Previously issued evacuation orders for other parts of Doyle remain in place.
The Sugar fire was 68% under control on Thursday morning, officials said.
The ongoing drought in California only adds to the challenges for firefighters during an already active fire season, officials said, contributing to dry vegetation that ignites easily and spreads fire quickly.
Although the Dixie fire is in the scar of the campfire, Gilliam said there was plenty of dry brush and grass to fuel the flames.
“Even though it’s younger fuels – which are only a few years old – it’s still very dry and it burns,” he said.
Firefighters are defending the same containment lines against the Dixie fire that they used in the campfire, he said.
Those who remember that 2018 fire hoped that this would be the only similarity between the two fires.
“We’ve covered enough stuff in this area,” Little said, “and we don’t need another one.”
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