Firefighting efforts continue to see ongoing improvements on the Dixie Fire near Susanville, reaching 88 percent containment, with some roads having reopened, according to Cal Fire in a Sunday briefing. The fire is 963,301 acres.
The Dixie Fire may see moderate to active fire activity Sunday with strong southwest winds over the fire prior to precipitation this evening, limiting fire behavior. Continued improvement in air quality is expected for the forecast area, according to InciWeb.
Highway 44 between County Road A-21 and Highway 89 reopened as of Wednesday with traffic controls measures in place. A pilot car will be used to provide public and firefighter safety and mitigate roadway hazards. Current roadway status can be found at:
With the increased warming and drying the past few days, there has been an increase in fire activity burning interior pockets of unburned vegetation in the norther area of the fire. As a result, the public may see increased smoke along the Highway 44 corridor.
Firefighters will continue to establish direct and indirect containment lines south of Old Station. Containment lines are being strengethened in anticipation of a weather front forecasted to impact the fire area this weekend with high winds and changing wind direction.
North of Highway 44 firefighters continue to establish containment lines in the vicinity of Hat Creek Rim as well as protecting critical fiber optic infrastructure.
Along Hwy 44 and other areas of the fire, firefighters will continue mop up and patrol for smoldering heavy and downed fuels.
CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 1 has transitioned off of the Dixie Fire. National Incident Management Organization Team 1 and California Interagency Management Team 14 assumed responsibility for the West Zone of the Dixie Fire on Sept. 13. The incident is being managed under a Unified Command with National Incident Management Organization Team 1 integrated with California Interagency Management Team 14, and Cal Fire.
The Dixie Fire started on July 13 and the cause is under investigation. The fire is burning on the Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Lassen Volcanic National Park, and in five counties: Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama. The fire has destroyed 1,329 structures, damaged 95 structures, and there has been one fatality.
