BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — The Dixie Fire began Tuesday evening near the town of Paradise in Butte county.
Cal Fire reported on Wednesday morning the Dixie Fire grew to 1,200 acres with no containment. Officials said ground crews have had a difficult time accessing the fire due to the terrain.
According to Cal Fire, Dixie Fire is burning away from any populated areas in Butte County.
It's an area that is familiar with wildfire. In 2018, the town of Paradise was decimated by the Camp Fire. More than 150,000 acres burned and more than 80 people lost their lives.
Here are some of the differences between the Dixie Fire and Camp Fire.
- Fuel: Oak and woodland timber and similar for both fires
- Weather: Hot & dry for both fires, but very windy for the Camp Fire
- Topography: Remote canyon with limited access points
The Dixie fire started Tuesday, July 13th at 5:24 pm. It began mid-slope and started uphill. Early morning, down canyon winds pushed the fire growth. The Jarbo Gap is notorious for an early morning shift in the wind pattern.
Initially, crews were hiking in with very little access to the fire. However, with daylight, additional access-points were made along with help from air tankers.
As for the Camp Fire, there was a Red Flag Warning issued when the fire began for high winds along with dry conditions. The fire began late in the year on November 8, 2018. At that time, there had been more than 200 plus days of no precipitation.
The biggest difference between these two fires is the wind speed. The winds were gusting from 15 mph to 20mph with the Dixie Fire. Winds with the Camp Fire were gusting up to 70 mph.
The embers from the Camp Fire were being blown in the air well-ahead of the parent fire creating spot fires. These additional fires were burning a couple of hundred acres in just a few minutes.
Also, the movement with these two fires is quite different. The Camp Fire was moving W/SW towards populated areas like Paradise. As of this writing, the Dixie Fire is moving N/NE away from populated areas.
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