Wildfire razed much of the downtown and surrounding homes in a small Northern California mountain community.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Dixie Fire ripped through Greenville on Wednesday evening, destroying businesses and homes as the sky was cast in an orange glow.
A gas station, hotel and bar were razed down according to a photographer who works for The Associated Press.
Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, in a Facebook earlier on Wednesday, had said: “If you are still in the Greenville area, you are in imminent danger and you MUST leave now!!”
Gatekeepers News gathered that the 3-week-old fire has spread to over 428 square miles (1,108 square kilometres) across Plumas and Butte counties.
In a bid to protect the town of 800 about 280 miles (450 kilometres) northeast of San Francisco, firefighters have been clearing debris from roads and marking hazards.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service, Pandora Valle earlier told The San Francisco Chronicle that “firefighters are fighting for the town of Greenville,” but could not give further details about the damage.
The disruption came amid a red flag warning issued by forecasters warning of hot, bone-dry conditions with winds up to 40 mph (64 kph) which could drive flames through timber, brush and grass, especially along the northern and northeastern sides of the vast Dixie Fire.
“I think we definitely have a few hard days ahead of us,” said Shannon Prather with the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire officials said the firefighters were able to save homes and hold large stretches of the blaze, but flames jumped perimeter lines in a few spots on Tuesday, which prompted additional evacuation orders for about 15,000 people east of Lake Almanor.
