Five people are still missing in California after the Dixie fire

California authorities remained without news, Saturday, August 7, of at least five people after the passing of the Dixie Fire, the devastating fire currently affecting the American West and continuing on its insane course.

The wildfire, the third largest in California history, destroyed businesses and homes in the small town of Greenville this week, as well as the village of Canyondam. It has already devoured more than 180,000 hectares in four counties since it declared itself in mid-July, and according to the California Fire Department, it can only contain 21% of its surface.

He said the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of five people believed to be missing in Greenville and that a search is underway. Five other people were found missing.

refusal to evict

Despite repeated evacuation orders by the authorities, some residents insisted on fighting the fire themselves, anxious not to entrust strangers to their safety. Still, the mild weather should bring some relief to the 5,000 firefighters who are fighting the fire day and night, and it’s already bigger than Los Angeles. “Our units continue to work around Silver Lake”, not far from where firefighters rest between shifts, said Jake Cagle, a California firefighting official.

Prolonged drought, which scientists believe is linked to climate change, has made the western United States particularly vulnerable to these highly destructive fires. And the Dixie Fire is so large that it now generates its own atmosphere, including lightning, making its path even more mysterious.

According to a preliminary investigation, a falling tree on one of the thousands of electrical cables traversing the American landscape is the cause of the fire. That power line is Pacific Gas & Company (PG&E), the truly private operator behind the Camp Fire, a fire that virtually wiped Paradise City off the map and killed 86 people in 2018, just a few kilometers away.