It's been one month since the Dixie Fire exploded in Northern California, incinerating an entire town and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, and it's showing little signs of slowing down.
An already difficult wildfire fight could become ever harder this weekend as firefighters brace for triple-digit temperatures and the potential of dry lightning.
Isolated thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada could bring some moisture, but also gusty and erratic winds that could spread the fire, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, said during a Friday morning briefing. Lightning could spark new blazes even as crews try to surround a number of other forest fires that were ignited by lightning last month.
The Dixie Fire has already consumed nearly 518,000 acres across four counties, two national forests and one national park. It was 31 percent contained as of Friday. An estimated containment date is still weeks away, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
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