California’s largest active wildfire, Dixie Fire, destroys town

(KYMA, KECY/NBC News) - Dramatic video captured the Dixie Fire, the largest wildfire burning in California, tearing through the small community of Greenville on Wednesday.

The footage showed homes and vehicles engulfed in flames, commercial structures gutted and buildings collapsed in the mountain community of around 800. The fire destroyed much of the historic California town and left it completely unrecognizable.

Among the buildings lost were a former sheriff's office, stores, restaurants, saloons and gas stations.

The Plumas County Sheriff's Office had issued a dire warning earlier in the day: "If you are still in the Greenville area, you are in imminent danger and you MUST leave now!"

No injuries were immediately reported. A public information officer for the fire response told NBC News Wednesday there was still fire in Greenville, but no further details about damage were available.

The Dixie Fire has been raging in the area since July 14. The blaze has burned more than 278,000 acres, destroyed at least 45 structures and was only 35 percent contained Thursday morning.

It is the eighth-largest wildfire in recorded California history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

This year has seen extreme heat that helped fuel fires all over the Western United States. Experts say that climate change is exacerbating wildfire conditions.

In 2020, California saw one its worst wildfire seasons in history, which included four of the five largest wildfires in the state since reliable records were kept.