‘We Did Everything We Could’
The Dixie Fire, California’s largest wildfire this season, is currently only 35% contained and has burned more than 322,500 acres since it began in mid-July. Before it hit Greenville, it had destroyed 45 homes and buildings. Firefighters thought that they had protected Greenville earlier this week. But the extreme fire weather on Wednesday caused the fire to grow by 24,000 acres and maraud over defenses. The neighboring town of Chester was also ordered to evacuate.
The National Interagency Fire Center noted that three other fires in California also displayed “extreme” behavior Wednesday, with the Monument and Antelope Fires gaining more than 8,000 acres, and the McFarland Fire growing by 5,100 acres.
“We did everything we could,” fire spokesman Mitch Matlow told the AP of Greenville. “Sometimes it’s just not enough.”
