Dixie fire rages amid threat of strong winds and possible power shutoffs

[marmar]

(Guardian UK) Firefighters battling flames in northern California were preparing for fresh bouts of windy weather, as a utility warned it might cut electricity for thousands of people to prevent new fires from igniting.

Conditions that suppressed the huge Dixie fire overnight were expected to give way late in the day to winds that could push flames toward mountain communities, in a region where drought and scorching summer heat have turned vegetation to tinder.

Information officer Jim Evans said: “In this environment, any type of wind, no matter what direction – especially the way the fire’s been going – is a concern for everyone.”

The Dixie fire has scorched 890 sq miles (2,305 sq km) in the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades since it ignited on 13 July and eventually merged with a smaller blaze called the Fly fire. ............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/16/dixie-fire-california-latest-wind-lightning