SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Plumas County officials are searching for five missing people after the Dixie fire swept through Greenville, destroying most of the Northern California town.
On Friday evening, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said that eight people were reported missing, including five from Greenville, which on Wednesday was ravaged by the massive wildfire. The Dixie Fire has burned 446,723 acres, making it the third-largest wildfire in state history, and is 21% contained.
By Saturday afternoon, five people previously reported missing were found safe and two new missing persons reports were made.
Three people still missing from Friday are Danny Sczenski of Greenville, Glen Gallagher of Greenville, and Donna Shelton of Chester. Deputies have received reports that Gallagher and Shelton are safe but have not made contact with them.
Two new missing persons are Dianne Doppert of Greenville and Lena Rhynes, also of Greenville.
The Sheriff’s Office said that they have found 21 missing people safe since Friday.
Nearly every building in Greenville was burned earlier this week, and the fire burned through Canyondam on Thursday as it headed north. Many communities are still under evacuation orders, including the northwestern portion of Plumas County nearly to Quincy, and the northeastern tip of Butte County. Crescent Mills and Chester are both under mandatory evacuation orders.
Mike Wink, a Cal Fire battalion chief, said in a Saturday morning briefing that eight commercial structures in Chester near the Highway 89 and Highway 36 intersection have been confirmed destroyed and damaged.
Cal Fire’s Butte Unit said in a Saturday morning update that a total of 184 structures have been confirmed destroyed, adding more than 40 more losses to the total tally overnight. Growth on the fire was modest overnight, a welcome reprieve after days of rapid expansion.
The largest-ever fires were 2020’s August Complex, at 1,032,648 acres, and 2018’s Mendocino Complex, at 459,723 acres.
Firefighters used the relative overnight calm to their advantage as humidity levels in the area improved and temperatures dropped. The fire grew by about 14,000 acres in the last 24 hours.
“Firefighters took advantage of the opportunity to safely engage directly along the fire perimeter,” Cal Fire officials said in the morning update. “The fire slowed its advance northeast, as it is now burning in more sparse fuels within the2007 Moonlight Fire scar.”
Fire officials say the improved weather conditions should last through Saturday, giving crews time to prepare for structure protection. Containing an 80-acre spot fire near Lone Rock is another priority for crews.
A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesperson told the Washington Post that four firefighters were taken to a hospital on Friday after being hit by a falling tree branch.
A total of 5,118 fire personnel are assigned to the Dixie fire.
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