California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday night declared a state of emergency in four counties due to ongoing wildfires, including three because of the Dixie Fire.
Newsom declared states of emergency in Plumas County because of the Dixie and Fly fires, Butte and Lassen counties because of the Dixie Fire and Alpine County due to the Tamarack Fire.
CAL FIRE said the Dixie Fire had burned nearly 168,000 acres and destroyed eight structures as of Friday night, with only 18% of the fire contained. It remains the state's largest active wildfire.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for the Butte Meadows area on Friday afternoon, while Plumas County had issued seven new evacuation orders.
The CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit issued evacuation orders north of Butte in Tehama County.
Plumas County must also contend with the Fly Fire, which had burned 1,650 acres as of Friday afternoon. The fire began Thursday night at around 5:15, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It is 0% containted.
The Tamarack Fire, meanwhile, had burned nearly 60,000 acres near the California-Nevada border and just south of South Lake Tahoe as of Friday night. It had destroyed over a dozen structures in Alpine County, according to county officials.
The fire is only 4% contained, according to the Forest Service, prompting Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to declare a state of emergency in Douglas County.
With much of the state in extreme or exceptional drought conditions and again contending with record-setting temperatures, California wildfires have burned far more acreage this year than this point in 2020. CAL FIRE said Friday there's a 257% year-over-year increase.
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