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California

Dramatic photos from the Dixie fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history

A burned fire truck is framed by trees destroyed in the Dixie fire in Greenville.
A burned fire truck is framed by trees destroyed in the Dixie fire in Greenville.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Photography by 
Mel Melcon
 and times wire service, text by hayley smith
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It has been 26 days since the Dixie fire ignited in the dense forest of Plumas County. It has destroyed more than 400 structures and sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing for safety.

And officials are warning that it could take several more weeks to contain the monstrous blaze, which is the second-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history.

The fire grew to 489,287 acres Monday and was only 21% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The estimated date for containment is Aug. 30.

A horse takes a break from grazing in a field along North Valley Road in Greenville
GREENVILLE, CA - AUGUST 08, 2021: A horse takes a break from grazing in a field along North Valley Road in Greenville as the Dixie Fire continues to burn above the town. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
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Amanda Peri, an inspector with Cal Fire Shasta Trinity Unit, searches through debris
Amanda Peri, an inspector with Cal Fire Shasta Trinity Unit, searches through debris to determine what roofing materials were used in Greenville.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Tiffany Lozano, 44, right, covers her face from the smoke as her sister, Kelly Tan, 59, photographs what is left
Tiffany Lozano, 44, right, covers her face from the smoke as her sister, Kelly Tan, 59, photographs what is left of Hunter’s Hardware store and the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce on Main St. in Greenville.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Greenville residents Gould Fickardt, 71, left, and Woody Hovland, 70, sit with their dogs, Primer, right, and Sheva, left,
Greenville residents Gould Fickardt, 71, left, and Woody Hovland, 70, sit with their dogs, Primer, right, and Sheva, left, where they are staying after their homes were lost in the Dixie Fire.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Deer graze in the town of Greenville, consumed by the Dixie fire.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
GREENVILLE, CA -
An American flag rests on rubble of the Greenville Fire Department destroyed by the Dixie fire in Northern California.
(David Odisho / Getty Images)
Before and after photos show downtown Greenville's buildings in an orange glow and later rubble, gutted structures and smoke
Photos show downtown Greenville, Calif., before it burned July 23 and the day it burned Aug. 4 during the Dixie fire.
(Josh Edelson / AFP )
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Regina Rutledge covers her face with both her hands outside her packed truck.
Regina Rutledge puts her hands to her face at an evacuation center for the Dixie fire in Susanville, Calif.
(Josh Edelson / AFP )
A woman kneels atop her car with a pile of belongings. A dog sits in the car's driver's seat.
Kesia Studebaker of Greenville, Calif., who lost her home in the Dixie fire, secures belongings on Aug. 6 before leaving a Susanville evacuation shelter with her dog, Logan. “I lost everything,” Studebaker said. “It’s a new beginning.” She was heading to a friend’s house.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Two firefighters aim their hoses at a smoking wooden sign that says "Lake Almanor West."
Firefighters from the Santa Rosa Fire Department extinguish a blaze on a sign at the entrance to the Lake Almanor West residential community in Chester, Calif.
(Josh Edelson / AFP)
After dark, flames leap and devour a home and a car.
A home is engulfed in flames as the Dixie fire rages in Greenville, Calif.
(Josh Edelson / AFP)
Amid dense smoke, a metal pole is bent over a roadway, framing a burned building that is surrounded by flames.
A bar known as the Way Station burns as the Dixie fire tears through the Greenville community in Plumas County, Calif. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
As dense smoke hangs over buildings, embers and flames cover the ground.
Buildings lie in burning ruins as the Dixie fire tears through Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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The outline of a home and a car are seen amid an inferno of flames.
Flames from the Dixie fire consume a home on Highway 89 in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A man drags one end of a light pole across a street in front of a burned-out two-story building
Operations Chief Jay Walter drags a toppled light pole to the curb across the street from the historic Sierra Lodge, which was left an empty shell when the Dixie fire swept through Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press )
Flames from the Dixie fire consume a home on Highway 89 in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press )
Battalion Chief Sergio Mora rubs his face as the Dixie fire tears through Greenville, Calif.
Battalion Chief Sergio Mora is part of the force fighting the Dixie fire in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Wind drives flames from one vehicle to another in a wrecking yard in Chester, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A firefighter walks past buildings destroyed by the Dixie fire in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
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A sidewalk bench, its wrought iron "welcome" twisted by flames, stands outside a building gutted by fire
A sidewalk bench, its wrought iron “welcome” twisted by flames, stands outside a building gutted by the Dixie fire in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A man bends as he uses tape to mark a roadway. In the background, fire burns and ruined buildings are shrouded in smoke.
Battalion Chief Sergio Mora marks a road hazard amid flames, smoke and debris from the Dixie fire in Greenville, Calif.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
Hunter McKee hugs Dawn Garofalo in front of a horse trailer.
Hunter McKee hugs Dawn Garofalo after helping her evacuate her horses to the edge of Lake Almanor.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)
A car drives on a highway with the glow of flames and black smoke in the background.
A car leaves Chester, Calif., which is under mandatory evacuation orders as the Dixie fire burns on the edge of town.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press)

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Mel Melcon

Mel Melcon started out with the Los Angeles Times in 1984 as a summer intern, worked on a freelance basis from 1985 to 1997 and then was hired full time. Melcon likes to capture the offbeat and funny side of life in his images. He left The Times in 2024.

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