Largest wildfire in US nearly half contained

29-08-2021 Sun 14:14 | International | IANS

Los Angeles, Aug 29 : Dixie Fire, the largest wildfire in the US this year and the second biggest in California's history, has so far scorched more than 756,000 acres with 48 per cent containment, according to authorities.

The fire, which started on July 14 about 10 miles northeast of Paradise, covered 756,768 acres on Saturday morning in five counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

Humidity recovery was poor through the mid to higher elevations, allowing the blaze to continue to burn actively throughout the night, Xinhua news agency quoted CAL FIRE as saying on Saturday.

Certain evacuation orders have been reduced to warnings and certain warnings have been lifted, allowing some residents to return to their homes and businesses, it added.

Active for 44 days, the Dixie Fire had destroyed 1,275 structures and was still threatening 11,833 structures across Butte, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen and Shasta counties.

There are three firefighter injuries so far with no civilian fatalities or injuries having been reported.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the ap7am team.)