Dixie Fire Becoming Largest in California History
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After being declared the third-largest fire in the history of California and then the second-largest, the California Dixie Fire becomes the largest-ever single fire in the state's history.
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Firefighters in the Alpine County, Markleeville, California
As the entire world is set ablaze by the neglect of climate change, the Dixie Fire of California reaches new milestones. This fire, according to The New York Times, has a detrimental radius of over 1,000 miles (1609 km), creating a pall of smoke over Denver, Colorado, 1100 miles (1770 km) to the east.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Tuesday morning, Dixie - emerging on July 17 and has been tearing along California since - has burned through 490,205 acres, making it the largest-ever single fire in state history and second-largest throughout.
As per CNN, almost 900 structures, including homes, commercial buildings, and other construction, have been consumed by the fire, as the threat looms over 16,000 others.
The drought in the region, accompanied by dry fuels, has been exacerbating the fire. Thankfully, no casualties were reported. The main reason behind the fire is still under investigation, according to CalFire (the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection).
27% of Dixie has been contained thus far, a decline from last week's 35% threshold, signifying that the fire has been growing larger and harder to control. As CalFire said, "Dry fuels are creating serious resistance to control." Last week, officials said they are expecting the fire to be contained by August 20, but as the problem intensifies, it is becoming unclear when the fire will recede.
