Energy & Environment

Five missing as Dixie Fire ravages California towns

Five people were reported missing on Saturday as the Dixie Fire ravages through northern California.

The Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it has recovered 21 people as of Saturday afternoon, with five others still missing.

The department had previously said that eight people were unaccounted for as of Friday night, adding that it was asking for the public’s help in locating the individuals.

The Dixie Fire, which began on July 14, has burned 446,723 acres of land and is 21 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire currently is the third-largest fire wildfire in the state’s history, though it has claimed no lives thus far, according to data from the department. It is also the largest fire in the U.S. as of Friday, CBS News reported.

Officials in Plumas County said Friday that over 100 homes were destroyed in the fire, and continues to pose a threat to hundreds others.

The fire largely wiped out much of Greenville, a town in Northern California. According to CNN, much of the town was ruined Wednesday.