VIDEO: Looking northeast from Lake Oroville, a smoke plume in the distance towers over the Feather River Canyon.
What FOX40 crews found in the shadow of that plume is a sobering example of how easily flames are able to decimate a forest that looked lush and green just days ago. Red retardant decorated the landscape and gave testimony to how hard firefighters have tried to suppress the Dixie Fire.
But the drought-stressed trees and the wind whipping through the canyon along Highway 70 are formidable opponents.
The fire is pushing northeast toward Lake Almanor, an area added to Wednesday’s mandatory evacuation orders, and is burning on both sides of Highway 70.
But the most active flames are moving away from the highway itself, into remote areas that are hard to access.