It took just days for the Dixie fire to double in size to nearly 200,000 acres, and officials say it could keep getting worse. Tony McHale of the fire’s incident management team, noting that isolated thunderstorms add “an element of unpredictability” to firefighting efforts because of the erratic winds they might bring. Advertisement“It’s a fire that’s [nearly] 200,000 acres, and we’re more than a week in,” said Mike Minton, the Dixie fire’s east zone incident commander. Those who study climate, weather and wildfire say all signs are likely that Dixie will continue to grow. “It’s now the 15th largest fire in California history, and it’s just July,” said Chief Nick Truax, the fire’s west zone incident commander.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 27, 2021 12:00 UTC