Dixie Fire (2021)

The Dixie Fire burned 963,309 acres (approximately 1,505 square miles) across five California counties — making it the second-largest single wildfire in California history, behind only the 2020 August Complex. It was the largest single-source wildfire in the state's recorded history (the August Complex was a combination of 38 separate ignitions that later merged).

CalFire and the US Forest Service investigation determined that the Dixie Fire was ignited on July 13, 2021 when a Douglas fir tree fell onto a PG&E distribution line near Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon. The 12-kV conductor remained energized for an extended period before the line de-energized, providing sufficient time for the contact arc to ignite vegetation at the base of the tree.

The most complete destruction occurred in the town of Greenville, in Plumas County, which was overrun by the fire on August 4, 2021. Approximately 700 of the town's 800 structures were destroyed, including the historic downtown core. The smaller communities of Canyondam and Indian Falls were also largely destroyed, and significant damage occurred in Crescent Mills, Taylorsville, Caribou, and Twain.

Yes. The Dixie Fire burned through approximately 73,240 acres of Lassen Volcanic National Park — roughly 69% of the park's total area. Major historic structures including the Mount Harkness fire lookout were destroyed. The fire became the first fire in modern history to burn from the western to the eastern Sierra Nevada in a single event, crossing the Sierra crest near Lake Almanor in early August.