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Whipped Up By Winds, Dixie Fire Continues Destroying Buildings In Indian Falls

The Dixie Fire, which despite its massive burn scar has so far been mostly burning through uninhabited forest in Butte and Plumas counties, continues raging in the area of Indian Falls, and the full extent of the damage won't be clear for a day or two.

Dixie Fire Explodes to 181,289 Acres; Increased Smoke Causes Problems for Air Tankers

Since starting July 14, the Dixie Fire has grown to over 181,289 acres in size — or roughly an area six times the acreage of San Francisco. And it's still only 19% contained.

PG&E Finally Has Plans to Put Electrical Lines Underground In Fire-Prone Areas

A week after a new wildfire appears to have been potentially sparked by a tree hitting PG&E transmission lines in Butte County, the company gave a press conference to announce a ten-year plan to bury 10,000 miles of power lines.

PG&E Equipment May Be to Blame For Sparking Dixie Fire Near Where Camp Fire Began

The Dixie Fire now burning in Butte and Plumas counties has grown to over 30,000 acres since starting last week, and PG&E is now admitting that its equipment may once again be to blame for the initial sparks.

Now There's a Red Flag Warning for Parts of the Bay Area

The potential for dry thunderstorms striking parts of the Bay Area has now led the National Weather Service to elevate areas that were previously under a Fire Weather Watch now to a Red Flag Warning.

Dixie Fire Scorches Over 2,200 Acres Near Paradise In Under Two Days

A wildfire that expanded rapidly on Wednesday is burning very near the burn scar of the 2018 Camp Fire, just east of the origin point of that fire, but so far is not threatening any homes.

Cannabis Company Caused Mendocino Wildfire That Burned 80 Acres

Well-funded legal marijuana darling Flow Kana admits one of their lawnmowers sparked last week’s Broiler Fire, which forced 250 evacuations while burning 80 acres and three homes.

Biden Sends $37M In Wildfire Mitigation Funds to Sonoma, Promises Raises For Firefighters

Sonoma County was one of the first in the country to apply for a grant under a new FEMA program dedicated to pre-disaster mitigation, and President Joe Biden announced today that they would be getting the aid immediately.

Will This Be the First Wildfire Smoke to Blanket SF? Lava Fire Grows to 20 Square Miles

The Lava Fire currently burning east of I-5 in Siskiyou County tripled in size overnight and has now scorched 13,000 acres, or about 20 square miles. The blaze is hundreds of miles from San Francisco, but it's taking shape to being the first truly major fire of the season in our half of the state.

Willow Fire In Monterey County Reaches 26% Containment, Evacuations Lifted

Some mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted in the remote mountains of the Ventana Wilderness east of Big Sur as firefighting crews have gained the upper hand on the week-old Willow Fire.

Business & Tech

Due to Those Batteries, Tesla Car Fires Require Outlandish Volumes of Water to Extinguish

All types of electric vehicles pose problems for firefighters when they crash and their lithium ion batteries go ablaze, but Teslas have routinely required more than 20,000 gallons of water. That does not bode well for wildfire season!\

Willow Fire In Monterey County Grows to 2,900 Acres, 0% Containment

The Willow Fire, which was sparked five nights ago in a remote area of Monterey County east of Big Sur, between the burn scars of two recent large wildfires, continues to grow, but weather conditions slowed its growth on Monday.

Willow Fire Near Big Sur Prompts Evacuation for Tassajara Zen Center

A wildfire broke out Thursday night in the Los Padres National Forest, just north of the burn scar from last year's Dolan Fire, and right beside the area that burned in 2016's Soberanes Fire.

Any Smoke You Smell Outside Right Now Is Probably Coming From Arizona

Due to a particular wind pattern and wildfires in southern Arizona, smoke appears to be drifting a very long way and reaching parts of the Bay Area today.

Day Around the Bay: 30-Acre Brush Fire Contained In San Jose

The Silicon Fire was likely sparked by a mylar balloon hitting electrical lines, the SFPD is investigating a Sunday shooting in the Tenderloin, and California is now giving away six "dream vacations" to the vaccinated in another lottery drawing.

We Are In For an Especially Sh**ty Fire Season, and It's Already Begun

In terms of wildfires in Northern California this year, it's not a matter of if but a matter of when, where, and how terrible. That's according to new maps showing the extreme fire potential taking shape with dry fuels across the region.

First Red Flag Warning of Fire Season Issued for North and East Bay Hills

Off-shore winds and generally dry, drought-y conditions mean heightened wildfire danger this weekend, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued the first Red Flag Warning of the new fire season.

Sunday Wildfire In Big Basin Redwoods State Park Kicks Off Another Potentially Horrible Fire Season

Dubbed the Basin Fire, the wildfire broke out after noon in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which remains closed to visitors after suffering damage in the CZU Lightning Complex fires last August.

One Wildfire In 2020's LNU Complex Believed to Have Been Arson to Cover Up Murder

One of last August's wildfires that merged with others to become the LNU Lightning Complex fires is now believed to have been the result of arson — and the culprit, according to the Solano County Sheriff's Office, is a 29-year-old man who likely set the blaze to cover up an earlier murder.

PG&E Slapped with Felony Criminal Charges Over 2019 Kincade Fire

The Sonoma County district attorney has charged PG&E with 33 criminal counts — including five felonies — in light of findings that their transmission lines did cause the Kincade Fire.

A Federal Judge's Ruling May Mean Even More PG&E Power Shutoffs This Fire Season

The judge overseeing PG&E's corporate criminal probation said Tuesday that he was considering imposing more strict guidance over how often the utility preemptively shuts off power in nine Northern California counties during high-wind events.

PG&E Reveals $3B Wildfire Safety Plan for 2021 Ahead of Possible 'Very Extreme' Season

PG&E has been found responsible for around 1,500 wildfires — and that estimation was published back in 2019, well before last year’s dystopian wildfire season. Going into 2021, the utility company hopes its new multi-billion-dollar wildfire mitigation plan will help it spark fewer blazes.

A Rare December Red Flag Warning Possible For Parts of Bay Area Sunday

Gusty winds and persistently dry conditions are potentially going to create fire danger for parts of the Bay Area between Sunday and Monday, which is the last thing that anyone in fire-prone areas wants to hear after an exhausting fire season.

Small Fire Breaks Out In Sonoma County Just After Power Is Restored, Downed Power Lines Found Nearby

Another possible near-miss for PG&E was recorded Tuesday night in northern Sonoma County when a vegetation fire broke out just minutes after power was restored in one area — and apparently there were two downed power lines in the vicinity that were missed in the utility's inspections.

Extreme Wind Event Arrives Early Next Week With Even Greater Potential Fire Danger, More PSPS Likely

The relentlessness of 2020 with its anxieties and miseries lumbers on with yet another fire weather forecast that no one wants to hear. But a coming wind event that begins Sunday brings the most danger so far, according to one meteorologist.