The resulting overcrowded forests became more vulnerable to drought, as well as bark beetle infestations that were the primary cause of death for more than 163 million trees in California between 20. Rigorous fire suppression policies in the United States also meant that much of the area burned by the Dixie Fire had little fire history, going back more than 40 years.

Reservoirs in the state shrunk, and vegetation dried out to the point where both living and dead conifers were drier than kiln-dried lumber. The Sierra snowpack, measured during its typical peak on April 1, was just 59 percent of the historical average, and runoff just 20 percent of the amount forecast. That year also saw further intensification of what scientists have found to be the most extreme megadrought in at least 1,200 years in the Western/Southwestern United States, amplified by high temperatures, low precipitation, and anthropogenic climate change: during the 2021 water year (the period between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021), Northern California received less than half of its usual precipitation. 2021 was the hottest summer ever recorded in California. Background Ī number of factors contributed to the size and intensity of the Dixie Fire. The Dixie Fire was the most expensive wildfire in terms of suppression efforts in United States history, costing $637.4 million to fight. Smoke from the Dixie Fire caused unhealthy air quality across the Western United States, including states as far east as Utah and Colorado. It was the first fire known to have burned across the crest of the Sierra Nevada (followed by the Caldor Fire later in the season).

The Dixie Fire was the largest and most destructive fire of the 2021 California wildfire season. non-complex) wildfire in recorded California history, and the second-largest wildfire overall (after the August Complex fire of 2020), The fire damaged or destroyed several communities, including Greenville on August 4, Canyondam on August 5, and Warner Valley on August 12.

Named after a nearby Dixie Road, the fire began in the Feather River Canyon near Cresta Dam in Butte County on July 13, 2021, and burned 963,309 acres (389,837 ha) before it was declared 100 percent contained on October 25, 2021. While Maynard is not accused of starting the Dixie Fire, investigators said in a court document that “he entered the evacuation zone and began setting fires behind the first responders fighting the Dixie fire … enlarging the Dixie fire and threatening more lives and properties,” CBS News reported.The 2021 Dixie Fire was an enormous wildfire in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Tehama counties in Northern California. Santa Clara University told the Sacramento Bee Maynard was employed as an adjunct faculty member in the sociology department between September 2019 and December 2020.Īccording to CBS Sacramento, Maynard denied the charges vehemently upon arrest, kicking at the door of his jail cell, screaming, 'I told those f****** I didn’t start any of those fires!”

Sonoma State University said Maynard is no longer with the school, but said he taught as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice as recently as fall 2020, the Sacramento Bee reported. They eventually found that Maynard had been nearby at the outbreak of multiple different wildfires, according to court papers.Īt the time of his arrest, Maynard was living out of his car, court records said.

Dixie fire arsonist