Incident Update Dixie Fire

Situation Summary

DIXIE FIRE- EVACUATION ORDER AND EVACUATION WARNING REDUCTION (9/9/2021 11am)
WHAT: Lassen County evacuation warning changes.
WHEN: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
WHERE:

EVACUATION ORDERS REDUCED TO WARNINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
East of Hwy 395 (lake side) from the Flux Rd intersection south to County Rd A26 Garnier Rd north to Long Valley Creek LAS-E008B AND LAS-E002-C West of Hwy 395 from the intersection of Milford Grade south to Flux Rd, West to Plumas/Lassen County line. LAS-E009B/C
EVACUATION WARNING HAS BEEN LIFTED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
East of Hwy 395 from the Thunder Mtn Rd intersection south to Milford Grade intersection LAS-E011-A

ALL OTHER EVACUATION ORDERS AND WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT

SAFETY MESSAGE:
Be aware that there will be an increase presence of law enforcement and fire personnel working in the area. Use caution, drive with your headlights on, and yield to emergency personnel. Please see the attached information about returning home after wildfire which can be found at www.readyforwildfire.org

Dixie Fire West Zone:

Last night at 7PM Old Station was put under a Mandatory Evacuation Order. The wind continued into the evening increasing the fire activity. The northern portion continued to have active runs in the brush and ground fuels with occasional group torching. Interior islands continued to burn and smolder through the night. Heavy fuels continue to consume throughout the fire perimeter.

Additional resources assigned to the Shasta sector work to build and reinforce lines today due to the predicted fire activity in the area. Additional engines, hand crews, and fuels reduction projects are ongoing in the area. These additional resources will also help to strengthen lines on the fires edge and to prepare for the extreme weather event predicted for this Thursday and Friday.

The California National Guard continue their efforts with West Zone crews in the Lassen Sector on north side of HWY 44. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe fire train continues to deliver 30,000 gallons of water, per load, to fill water tenders, allowing for a faster return to the fire today.

The West Zone is working in conjunction with the East Zone south of Janesville and Milford, along the 395 corridor and up to the escarpment. Fire crews have installed thousands of feet of hose, scrapped 10-blade-wide dozer lines, and reinforced containment lines with retardant from the mobile retardant base in Hurlong. Smoldering vegetation is still expected In the Lake Almanor area. Crews aggressively continue to reinforce the lines in very steep and rugged terrain in the Lassen Volcanic National Park.

A critical Fire Weather Watch is in effect for thunderstorms and frontal winds that begin today through Friday.

Residents will see smoke coming from trees and stumps for days following their return. Proceed with caution, burned out areas may have unseen hazards. Residents are encouraged to call 911 if they are concerned about any active flames near their homes or businesses. Damage assessment is ongoing. The changing count of threatened structures in the update is due to changes in fire status and the evacuation warnings in Lassen, Plumas and Shasta County.

*A firefighter assigned to the Dixie incident passed away, due to an illness on September 2.

Dixie Fire East Zone:

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Fire Weather Watch for the Dixie Fire area for late tonight through Friday, ( 9- 9-21 at 11:00 PM through 9-10-21). Thunderstorms, strong outflow winds, and light rains are likely tonight, then gusty winds and low humidity are expected through the day tomorrow. Very little fire growth occurred yesterday and overnight in the East Zone of the Dixie Fire. Across the fire area, fire continued to consume isolated internal pockets of unburned fuel as well as rekindling fallen pine needles in places, occasionally creating areas of smoke, and embers thrown from the flare-ups threaten containment lines. Fire on the north of Grizzly Ridge has burned into light re-growth from the 2019 Walker Fire, and in the southeast corner, fire burned into the 2021 Sugar Fire scar and stopped.

Last night’s night shift included over 250 firefighters, which is a significant increase in fresh personnel over previous shifts. Crews are patrolling the entire fire area day and night, providing structure protection, responding to smoke reports, and closely monitoring containment lines. Fire continues to burn in the very steep terrain of the Devil’s Punchbowl south of Taylorsville. Moderate fire activity in the area involves backing and short flanking runs in ground fuels occurring in the heat of the day. Today, hotshot crews are going direct with the help of water drops from helicopters, piecing together areas of open rock scree in the avalanche chutes, and constructing direct handline around the uncontained perimeter. Working with resources from the West Zone, two type 1 hotshot hand-crews had success yesterday and overnight building direct containment line and putting out hot spots on the steep slopes of the escarpment above Highway 395 south of Milford. Today, hand-crews continue to hold the fire in the very steep terrain northwest of Dixie Peak, and crews and heavy equipment are building contingency lines along the BeckwourthGenesee Road.

Dixie Fire Resources
CAL FIRE Website- https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents
USFS Information- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

Shelter Locations

Plumas County/Lassen County:

• Holy Family Catholic Church 108 Taylor Ave. Portola, CA (At Capacity)
• Sparks Convention Center Hall #5, 4590 S. Virginia St., Reno, NV 
• American Red Cross: Public Information Line (855)-755-7711

Animal Shelters

Plumas County:

• Plumas County Fairgrounds 204 Fairground Road, Quincy (large animals)
• 201 Mill Creek Road, Quincy (small animals)
• Recreation Center 101 Meadowview Lane, Chester
• If you need assistance with animals contact Plumas County Animal Services at 283-3673 or 283-6300. Large animals/livestock can also be accommodated.

Wildlife Rescue 

• Response for injured wildlife: 1-800-942-6459
• Gold Country Wildlife Rescue: 1-530-885-0862

Road Closures

Public traveling in or near evacuated areas should follow egress route directions identified in the evacuation notifications. Directions provided by mobile devices and GPS units could lead drivers into hazardous areas.  Motorists are encouraged to call 1-800-427-7623 for highway information as roadway conditions remain dynamic.

Shasta County:

• Traffic is being diverted to northbound Highway 89 to Burney
• All roads between the park entrance and Wilcox Rd at HWY 89
• Highway 44 is closed through old station
• Road closures are at the intersection of Highway 89 and 44 at the entrance of Lassen National Park and at the intersection of Highway 89 at Wilcox Road to the north of Old Station.
• Highway 44 is closed at Road A21 on the Lassen County side.
• Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP) is closed.

Lassen County:

• Janesville Grade @ “Granite Lookout.”

Plumas County:

• Indian Falls Road @ SR-89. No westbound Indian Falls Road traffic.
• Greenville Wolf Creek Road just west of SR-89. No westbound Greenville Wolf Creek Road traffic.
• Pecks Valley Road northbound @ North Valley Road eastbound.
• North Valley Road northbound @ North Arm Road.
• Dixie Valley Road @ SR-89. No northbound Dixie Valley Road traffic.
• Arlington Road eastbound at Viacava Ranch Road. No eastbound Arlington Road traffic.
• Main Street both directions @ SR-89
• Beckwourth Genesee Road westbound @ Antelope Road

National Forest Closures

The Pacific Southwest Region is temporarily closing all R5 National Forests to provide better public and firefighter safety due to extreme fire conditions throughout the state and strained firefighting resources throughout the country. This closure will be effective on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. through September 17, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. This Order does not affect the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which is not in the Pacific Southwest Region. (See Regional Order No. 21-07: Emergency Forest Closure link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd949149.pdf).

The Lassen National Forest's Order No. 06-21-08: Expanded Dixie Fire Closure Order prohibits the public from entering within the Dixie Fire Closure Area or any National Forest System Roads or trails described in Exhibits A & B. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd940211.pdf). This Order is in effect until November 30, 2021.

The Plumas National Forest’s Order No. 05-11-00-21-21: Dixie Fire Phases 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Expanded Closure Order prohibits the public from entering within the Dixie Fire Closure Area or any National Forest System road or trail described in Exhibit A and B.

(https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd940207.pdf). This Order is in effect until September 30, 2021.

Bureau of Land Management

The Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail near Susanville, as the Bureau of Land Management, has rescinded a temporary emergency closure associated with the Dixie Fire. Also reopened are the Hobo Camp and Devil’s Corral trailheads and all other BLM-managed lands that were affected by the emergency closure that went into effect on Aug. 16. This includes BLM-managed lands south of California Highway 36, west of U. S. 395. and north and east of the Lassen National Forest boundary.

Evacuee Campsites:

Lassen National Forest: The Lassen National Forest has the Christine Campground on Eagle Lake Ranger District and the Bridge Campground on the Hat Creek Ranger District available for evacuees. Evacuee's primary residence must be under mandatory evacuation and need to check in with the campsite's hosts. Before you go, make sure the campgrounds are not under any evacuation warnings. Contact Brian.newman@usda.gov or call 530-338-8745.

Plumas Evacuee Campsites: Plumas National Forest - Campgrounds available to evacuees include Meadow Camp, Rock Creek, and Deanes Valley Campgrounds in the Meadow Valley area, in addition to Red Bridge Campground off La Porte Road, and Lakes Basin Campground off of Gold Lake Highway.

Contact the Plumas National Forest Supervisors Office at (530) 283-2050 or the Mt. Hough Ranger District at (530) 283-0555 or the Beckwourth Ranger District (530) 836-2575 for more information.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will close seven of its properties that lie within or immediately adjacent to USDA Forest Service boundaries during this same period to support emergency response routes, firefighting efforts and protect public safety.

Link to all the closed areas: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=194978&inline

Lassen Volcanic National Park

All of Lassen National Park is closed to all access due to the Dixie Fire. For current information regarding the Lassen Volcanic National Park:

https://www.nps.gov/lavo/learn/nature/dixie-fire.htm

BOIL WATER ADVISORY

BOIL WATER ADVISORY

HAT CREEK HIGHLANDS MUTUAL WATER COMPANY

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING September 9, 2021

Failure to follow this advisory could result in stomach or intestinal illness.

The Hat Creek Highlands MWC had a significant break in the distribution system, as a result of a fire truck backing into a standpipe. This break may result in an outage or low pressure until we can get the pipe repaired. Additionally, to keep the water system operating/pressurized during the Dixie Fire event, we have disabled the alarms and interlocks at the surface water treatment plant; therefore, the water produced may not meet state standards. We are working with neighboring utilities for assistance in repairing this leak and restoring water service.

When water pressures are lost, contaminated water can enter the pipes where leaks are located, and then contaminate the rest of the water distribution system. Therefore, we are advising all customers to boil their water and/or follow the precautions below as suggested by the Division of Drinking Water and the Hat Creek Highlands MWC.

What should you do?

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms that may be in the water.
• An alternative method of disinfection for residents that are not able to boil their water is to use fresh, unscented, liquid household bleach. To do so, add 8 drops (or 1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of clear water or 16 drops (or 1/4 teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow it to stand for 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this disinfection procedure and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place.
• Water disinfection tablets may also be used by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Continue boiling your water until you receive written notice from us that the water is safe to drink.

Once the repair is complete, the main line will be disinfected, flushed, and water samples will be collected to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Once samples show the water to be safe, we will inform you that boiling your water will no longer be need. We expect this advisory to be in effect for at least two days

For more information, please contact staff from the State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water at (530) 224-4800, or Sarah Bradley (Chief Operator) with BWS Inc (530) 244-1453, sarah.bradley@bws.works.

Evacuation Information:

Plumas County Evacuations

Plumas County Evacuation Orders:

• Beckwourth Genesee Road east through Dixie Valley Rd to the Plumas County line and north to the Plumas County line. This includes Dixie Valley and Frenchman Lake. [PLU 34, PLU 37, PLU 43-A and 43-B]
• Long Valley and north of Seneca areas [PLU Zone 004B]
• Humbug Humboldt Cross Rd. at SR89, south along Humbug Humboldt Rd. to the intersection with Humboldt Rd., west to the Round Valley Creek and Deer Creek intersect, north along the Tehama County Line to the intersection SR36, east along SR36 to the intersection of SR89, south along SR89 to the intersection with Humbug Humboldt Cross Rd. [PLU Zone 6B]
• East side of Mt. Hough, east to Tower Rock, and the south edge of Genesee. Includes Emigrant Rd. (PLU Zone 16A)
• Grizzly/Tower: Beckwourth Genesee Rd south of Antelope Lake Rd to Grizzly Ridge and North of Argentine Lookout [PLU Zone 21]
• Antelope, includes the area surrounding Antelope Lake, North to the Plumas/Lassen Line, East to the Plumas Lassen Line, including Fruit Growers Blvd USFS Road 28N32, Indian Creek Road, Diamond Mountain Way, and the area of Thompson Creek & Boulder Creek. [PLU Zone 30]
• Ingalis: South of Beckwourth Genesee Road to the NW side of Lake Davis along Grizzly Ridge to the west and including the Walker Mine [PLU Zone 33]
• North of Lake Davis from the intersection of Beckwourth-Taylorsville Road and the Bagley pass Road, north to Zone 31 [PLU 35-A]
• Lake Davis, north of Lake Davis Road to Gate Place, includes all sides of Lake Davis [PLU 35-B]

Plumas County Evacuation Warnings:

• ALL OF GENESEE VALLEY, southeast of Taylorsville up the Genesee Rd to just south of Babcock Crossing, Walker
• Mine Road, north portion of Beckwourth Genesee Road. [PLU Zone 28]
• Taylorsville [PLU Zone 15A]
• Harkness and Warner Valley, Kelly Mountain [PLU Zone 041]
• Greenville area [PLU Zone 014]
• Swain Mtn, Echo lake, Star Butte area [PLU Zone 39]
• Sifford Mountain, North Stover Mountain [PLU Zone 40]
• East shore of Highway 147 [PLU Zone 010]
• Northwest of Round Valley Lake to Long Valley Mine and north to Hwy 89 [PLU Zone 011]
• Mt. Hough north of Quincy to south of Arlington Road, and Oakland Campground area [PLU Zone 016B]
• North side of Delleker. Hwy 70 at Willow Creek Rd, east to Hwy 70 at West Street (Portola) and everything north to Smith Peak.[PLU 35-C].
• Beckwourth-Genesee Road at USFS road 23N53, north to Zone 7. From Crocker Mtn east toward reconnaissance Peak. [PLU 42-A].

Plumas County Resources:

• Plumas County Website: https://www.plumascounty.us/
• Sheriff Website: https://plumascounty.us/587/Sheriff-Coroner
• Sheriff Dixie Fire Information: https://www.plumascounty.usDixie-Fire-Information
• Sheriff Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plumascountysheriff
• Plumas National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/plumas

Lassen County Evacuations

Lassen County

Evacuation Order: 

• North of Hwy 44 from the Lassen County line east to Pitville Rd and north to Blacks Mountain/Forest Services Route 32NO2
• Milford area west (mountain side) of Hwy 395 from Milford Grade south to the intersection of County Rd A26/Garnier Rd – Zones LAS - E009-A&B, E001A
• Milford and Herlong area east (lake side) of Hwy 395 from Milford Grade intersection south to County Rd A26/Garnier Rd east to Pole Line Rd north of A25 and east to but NOT including Sierra Army Depot on the south side of A25– Zone LAS-002-B, Zones LASE008-A, B,E002-C
• North of Hwy 44 from Forest Route 33NO2 east to County Rd A21 and north to Crater Lake Campground – Zones LAS-E035-F
• South of Hwy 44 from the Lassen County Line east to Hog Flat Reservoir – Zones LAS-E028, E031A
• South of Hwy 36 south and east of Mtn Meadows Reservoir east to Old Town Rd– Zones LAS-E019, EO18
• Janesville and Milford east of the Plumas County Line from Janesville Grade south to Milford Grade along the mountain side (unpopulated area) Zones LAS-E012-K, E010-B, C, F

Evacuation Warning:

• Milford area west (mountain side) of Hwy 395 from Raker Place south to Milford Grade – Zone LAS-E010-A
• Milford area east (lake side) of Hwy 395 from the Thunder Mountain Rd intersection south to Flux Rd intersection. – Zones LAS-E011-A, LAS-008-A
• Antelope Mountain and Campbell Mountain area east of County Rd A21 and west of County Rd A1 – Zone LAS-E035-B and E035-I
• Bogard area north of Hwy 44 from Pittville Rd east to County Rd A21 and north to Blacks Mountain, Harvey Mountain and south of Ashurst Lake – Zones LAS-E035-D,E,F,G
• West of County Rd A1 from the A21 intersection north to Forest Services Route 32NO2 – Zone LAS-E035-C

Lassen County Resources:

• Lassen County Damage Inspection Map: https://arcg.is/0GvCeX
• Lassen County Web site: http://www.co.lassen.ca.us
• Sheriff Website: https://tinyurl.com/sy9frpx6
• Sheriff Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LassenSheriff
• Lassen National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/lassen

Shasta County Evacuations

Shasta County

Evacuation Orders:

• The community of Old Station
• Residents of all roads between the Lassen National Park entrance and the Bridge Campground.
• Any residences on Highway 44 from the Lassen County line.
• Hat Creek Rim east to the Shasta County Line and south of SR-44

*A temporary evacuation point is being set up at the Safeway in Burney.

Evacuation Warnings:

• The areas of Hat Creek and Old Station for both sides of SR-44 from Big Pines
  Road north of Brians Way

Shasta County Resources:

• Shasta County Website: https://www.co.shasta.ca.us/index.aspx 
• Sheriff Website: https://www.co.shasta.ca.us/index/sheriff 
• Shasta 2-1-1 Dixie Info: https://www.211disasterupdate.com/dixie-fire 
• Wildfire Info Map: https://tinyurl.com/fpsamrwr 
• Code Red Sign Up: https://tinyurl.com/26ufjhn3 

Residents are encouraged to sign up for the Code Red Emergency Alert System to receive important time-sensitive messages regarding critical local emergencies.

Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.

Engines

364

Water Tenders

178

Helicopters

25

Air Tankers

0

Dozers

132

Hand Crews

81

Other

1504

Total Personnel

4846

Cooperating Agencies