These Photos Show How Overwhelming Northern California's Dixie Fire Is

The Dixie fire, the largest active wildfire in the US, has already destroyed a town in California.

By
Kate Bubacz
by Kate Bubacz

BuzzFeed News Photo Director

A firefighter stands in a smoky intersection in front of a destroyed two-story building
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Battalion Chief Sergio Mora looks on as the Dixie fire burns through downtown Greenville, California, Aug. 4, 2021.

The Dixie fire, which has become the largest active wildfire in the US, is just 21% contained as of Sunday, according to CalFire. It has been burning for over two weeks. On Wednesday, it tore through downtown Greenville, California, destroying much of the small gold rush town.

Here's a look at the devastation of the second largest wildfire in California history.


A hollowed-out two-story building is surrounded by flames, rubble, and a destroyed car
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

The Dixie fire destroys businesses in downtown Greenville, California, on Aug. 4, 2021.

A sign for Greenville Gas Mart is surrounded by a fire under a smoky sky
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

The Dixie fire in downtown Greenville, California, Aug. 4, 2021

A two-story home with trucks and recreational vehicles parked outside is surrounded by a forest fire
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Flames approach a home as the Dixie fire moves into Greenville, California, Aug. 4, 2021.

A car, tree, and home all ablaze at night
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

The Dixie fire engulfs a home, Aug. 5, 2021.

A destroyed brick building is surrounded by fire and debris
Daniel Brown / Daniel Brown/Sipa USA via Reuter

A building in downtown Greenville burns on Aug. 4, 2021.

Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

The interior of a building in downtown Greenville smolders.

Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

A firefighter surveys the remains of Greenville Library in the decimated downtown area.

A man rubs his eye in the driveway of his home, where two "thin red line" and "thin blue line" flags hang
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Mike Nugent, who lost a home during the Camp fire, reacts as law enforcement officers inform residents of a mandatory evacuation order, which he plans to ignore, during the Dixie fire in Chester, California, Aug. 3, 2021.

A fire retardant paste covers a garage door and the surrounding walls
Mike Chapman / Reuters

Fire retardant covers a garage door in Chester, California, ahead of the Dixie fire's invasion, Aug. 5, 2021.

Fred Greaves / Reuters

Woody Hovland inspects a burned-out building owned by his friend in Greenville, California, Aug. 5, 2021.

The paint is cracked and warped on a crossing sign and a marker that reads "Main Street," surrounded by destroyed buildings and rubble
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

A fire-damaged street sign in a decimated downtown Greenville during the Dixie fire on Aug. 5, 2021.

Noah Berger / AP

Homes and cars destroyed by the Dixie fire in Greenville

Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

A charred page from a recipe book is on a road in Chester during the Dixie fire, Aug. 4, 2021.

A helicopter flying through a smoky sky over a forest carries a pouch of water below it
Sopa Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A helicopter carries water to drop over the Dixie fire, July 31, 2021.

Ash covers thin tree trunks in a forest
Sopa Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A section of burned forest from the Dixie fire

A person reclines in a chair with the cap over their head amid a desolate downtown area
Noah Berger / AP

Garrett Lynch, a pilot truck driver for the Dixie fire, sleeps on a sidewalk in Chester.

Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Bonny Raines, who evacuated from Chester, tends to her two dogs in the backseat of her car at an evacuation center for the Dixie fire at Lassen Community College in Susanville, California.

Hand-drawn signs read "Thank you fire heroes"
Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images

Signs thanking firefighters are seen in Quincy, California, July 27, 2021.

The inside of a car is destroyed, parked among desolation and burned-out debris
Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

A burned fire engine smolders in downtown Greenville, Aug. 5, 2021.

A building without windows or a roof is surrounded by debris under a smoky sky
Fred Greaves / Reuters

A burned-out commercial building following the Dixie fire


Skip to footer