greenville, california destroyed.of about 800 that stood since the gold rush. >> it was scary. it was like, you know, one of those apocalyptic movies you see with fire and wind and people going everywhere. >> reporter: overnight, tho powerful red flag winds sent the everybody did. >> we have firefighters getting guns pulled out on them because people don't want to evacuate. >> reporter: at 322,000 acres, the dixie fire is now size of lo and the sixth largest fire in california history. more than 60 structures burned with the number expected to rise. >> there were a couple of towers that flamed twice as tall as the trees. huge towers of flame. >> reporter: and tonight firefighters on the front lines of a new threat. the growing river fire is burning in an area that hasn't seen flames in 100 years, with drought-riddled brush ready to ignite, a plea for those in the past to evacuate should the time come. >> finally get allowed back in there. it's either standing or it's a pile of ash. >> reporter: with the fire at the do

from greenville, california, john hendern reporting to us a 6 provincial capitals and i've gone it's dawn of now fall into the taliban as it continues its major offensive across the country. the regions marked in red confirmed to be in control of the armed group. the latest is i back, this is the capital of some on gone in the north, while 3 others are on the cost of falling to taliban control. and heavy fighting is on the way into other major cities. the afghan into ministry says government forces pushing the taliban back in some areas. then they come out the come, the ha like how to go on. fortunately, the security situation in kandahar alaska and tara provinces has improved by africa security for sir petroleum. the enemy has suffered heavy last month and the plan to capture the city has been neutralized do what i can those enemy attacks and condos shipper? again, 7 gun and sorry, 2 provinces are ongoing to deal with. robert bride has more now from the afghan capital capital. this is the latest victory being claimed by the taliban. the city of i back now, this is the city, that's t

and greenville, california, is a town that has been mostly destroyed by the fire, as i understand. royed there in greenville so far. what are the conditions like on the ground there this morning? >> the conditions are awful as they are every morning in town here, craig. you wake up here and the smoke hangs in the air. you can probably see it. it sticks in your chest, in your nose, it stings your eyes. there is bone dry brush here, tinder dry, between this and the next set of homes and there is still about 13,000 homes in the threat zone of this fire. meanwhile you wake up and here you see greenville, they are the worse case scenario. i'm at about 75% of all manmade structures in this town that have been obliterated by these fires. we spoke about living with this new reality. the destruction they cause, listen to this. >> everybody has been affected by this fire, you know? living up here in the mountains we know when we moved here that we would be living with fire. we were working on getting this place as a fire wise community. the folks in the town or resilient. they will come back.

greenville, california, destroyed.t stood since the gold rush. >> it was scary, it was like one of those of pop elliptical movies you see with fire and wind and people going everywhere. >> overnight, those powerful winds sent the dixie fire churning through town, you can see the scope of the devastation, residents worked hard to evacuate but not everyone did. >> we are getting firefighters getting guns pulled on them because people do not want to evacuate. >> the dixie fire is now the size of los angeles, the sixth largest wildfire in california history. number of structures burned stand at 60. >> the planes are twice as tall as the trees, -- >> and tonight, firefighters on the front of a new threat. the river fire is seeing flames that have not burned in 100 years, with a dry brittle brush ready to ignite, and a path ready to burn. >> it's either standing or it's a pile of ash. that's the only way they're getting. us >> with the fire at the doorstep of another community, another tense and uncertain nice. steve patters

greenville, california, engulfed in flames after the dixie fire consumed it in about three hours, twisting and swallowing houses whole you can hear the crackle of the fire tearing through the wood, whipping around in the wind. a car and house engulfed in a raging inferno and then the eerie silence of the smoldering aftermath a historic gold rush town reduced to ashes 100-year-old buildings along main street crumbled, sheriff's office, restaurants, saloons and homes. fire officials estimate 75% of the structures in town have been destroyed. the only good news, no deaths and no injuries reported this hour some 500 firefighters battled the blaze from all sides and one managed to save an american flag others stood amid wreckage of what they could not save and an emotional plea from a congressman saying the government needs to do more. >> we lost greenville tonight. there are just not words camp fire, car fire, air fire just above here last year and now this we have to do better >> greenville, just north of sacramento is just 40 miles away from paradise, the town destroyed by the camp fire thre

greenville, california, destroyed. was like, you know, one of those apocalyptic movies you see with fire and wind and people going everywhere. >> reporter: overnight those winds sent the dixie fire tearing through town. you can see the scope of the devastation. residents were told to evacuate, but not everybody did. >> at 322,000 acres, the dixie fire is the size of los angeles and the sixth largest fire in california history. more than 60 structures burned, but the number expected to rise. >> there were towers aflame twice as tall as the trees. >> reporter: the growing river fire is growing an an area that hasn't seen glams for years. >> when i get allowed back in there, it's either standing or it's a pile of ash. that's when it will hit us. >> reporter: with the fire at the doorstep, another intense and uncertain night lies ahead. steve patterson, nbc news, greenville, california. >>> coming up, we remember the leader known as the lion of the labor movement when "the 11th hour" continues. when "the 11th hour" continu

well, john henderson is live in greenville in california force. and john, we can see a little bit of the sick think smoky air behind you just give us a sense of how bad it's been there for people and how they're dealing with it. with the air quality here is actually improved considerably over the course of the day. but this town was simply wiped off the map by the dixie fire. almost nothing is left of it. you can see the remains of what used to be a bank right over on this side. and if you just sort of follow the road here, you can see that there are several buildings that have been just totally burned down across the street here. that is a century old hotel that had been standing there for some time and is now completely wiped out except for the facade in front. and if you keep looking on it, you can see in the background there are trees that have been burned in the course of this fire. and there's a petrol station as well. and it just goes on and on. there are a few buildings that haven't been destroyed, but this was part of the fire line that f

street lights were seen melting in the extreme heat smell. joan hendrick as that of greenville in northern california, and he joins as ally from that. joe, a scene of destruction over your shoulders, just talk us through what's been happening with your well, this is the center of greenville and most of this town has been wiped out. this happened about 24 hours ago about this time on wednesday when the wind kick jumped over 60 kilometers per hour. that just allowed the fire that was already enormous about the size of new york city to explode. and when it did it over ran this town, you can see the skies have cleared now, but that is because the fire is consumed much of the fuel that was here, all this dry timber. and of course the town itself and just move yawn. so it was much smoke here as we drove up the road to this chance. this used to be a hotel about a century old behind me. and if you just look back there, those are this year in nevada mountains, you can hardly see them now through the smoke. those are the embers of the fire that swept through there just a day ago. miraculously, in this town of

cnn's camila bernal has our report from hard hit greenville, california. >> reporter: firefighters have made some progress and containment has gone up, but for communities like this one, it is just too late. greenville will never be the same again. if you look here behind me, this used to be a hotel and then across the street here, this is what used to be a locally owned drug store, down the street a hair salon, all of it nonexistent at the moment. and those families are having to deal with this loss. i spoke to a local volunteer firefighter who grew up here and will myers says he watched as the flames approached his town, this is what he told us. >> it was gut-wrenching. just knowing that there was so little that we could do to save it. the wall of flame was just rolling into town, propane tanks were exploding everywhere. really felt like we were in a warzone. >> reporter: and i've talked to other firefighters, one who described the fire as god being angry. another one describing it as a stubborn fire saying that sometimes it is calm but then it takes off again. a lot of these firefigh

been damaged and then they allow the residents back in, shep >> guad venegas live for us in greenville, california tuesday and the fire bearing down at the intersection of highway 89 and main street. the county supervisor kevin goss predicted the destruction. we're going to lose a lot of stuff, a lot of builds, history. he lived in greenville almost 50 years. you know the pharmacy guad mentioned a moment ago, his family has owned that pharmacy forever. and as you saw, it was destroyed in the fire. >> it's been about two weeks of non-stop fire up here. and the dixie fire but yesterday was a really tough day and the day before was a really tough day we lost the town of greenville, which -- where my pharmacy is. and i lost my pharmacy in the town it was very upsetting as you can well imagine but we had just let all the evacuees back into the town to start repopulating the town. and then the fire took a turn and came back down the hill. and basically blew through town. so that pharmacy -- the building was the oldest building in greenville, built in the 1850s, 18 sixth it's housed many things over the

overnight, the largest one in california all but destroyed greenville, an historic gold rush town, buildings that had stood since the 1800s were leveled in hours, leaving an apocalyptic scene. in just three weeks, the so- called dixie fire has burned more than 500 square miles, an area larger than the city of los angeles. more than 25,000 residents are under evacuation orders. many of the western fires can be seen from space, whipped up by hot, dry winds. 20,000 firefighters and support crews are battling the flames. cbs' jonathan vigliotti is in greenville tonight. jonathan, how widespread is the destruction? >> reporter: bill, what you see here extends for nearly a mile in every direction. we are here on what is left of main street. that used to be the main intersection. that was a century-old hotel. easily more than 100 buildings were destroyed by this fire. and when you look here this afternoon, it's as if several bombs exploded here overnight. it came in like a tornado, this raging wildfire tore through this mining town, engulfing everything in its path, turning it into a hellscape. fla

orders in northern california where firefighters are struggling to stop the dixie fire which wiped out a small historic town. the blaze gutted more than 100 homes and businesses in greenvillea former gold rush town with buildings dating back to the 1800s. it's now the sixth largest wildfire in california history and it's one of several fires burning out west that can be seen from satellite. as johnson vigliotti reports some residents are refusing to leave their homes. >> we lost greenville tonight. >> reporter: this is all that's left of greenville's library, it looked like this until the dixie fire ravaged this historic nort calif gold rush town. in just hours the blaze destroyed one structure after another, including the post office, a temple, businesses and homes. >> it's devastating. i believe i saw a sign over there yesterday that had a grand opening for a music shop and a cafe just right over there. >> reporter: raging since last month high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds fueled the fire's explosive growth this week. in some cases residents are making tier' jobs even tougher. >> we have firefighters that are getting guns pulled out on them because people d

severe this as heat and drought helped fuel massive wildfires that have been burning from greenville, california to greece. >> multiple fires. now burning in northern california. the dixie fire the biggest hundreds of structures damaged so far. and an area now twice the size of new york city chart. northwest of the dixie fire in the shasta-trinity national forest. hundreds of homes threatened by 2 fires continuing to grow with new evacuations more than 6,000 miles across the globe. crews are battling wildfires in greece that have destroyed homes and businesses on one of the country's largest island sending thousands fleeing scene here in satellite images. >> that was lauren lister reporting more than 100 countries have made informal pledges to achieve net 0 human cause carbon dioxide emissions hoping to do that sometime around mid century. >> crews, meanwhile, are making progress on trying to fully contain the river fire burning near colfax in placer county along. i 80 cal fire says the fire now 68% contained. the fire has burned through more than 2600 acres so far destroying more than 80 buildi

might have sparked the dixie fire, which shows no signs of abating john henry and al jazeera greenville california. china has a keys, the bite and administration of violently interfering, and it's a 5. this is also the u. s. off a temporary, safe haven to thousands of hong kong citizens currently in america. it's in response to asians crackdown on democracy in the city. if you're appears to gray and forces have sees the ancient town of lovely bella. churches camped from rock or you and world heritage site and sacred to ethiopia. millions of orthodox christians have a fighting between icon forces and the taliban has continued over night. the city of laska guns saw the not gonna stone thousands of fled to neighboring, come to hall, the country, 2nd largest city. the one says health facilities is struggling to cope with civilian casualties. more than 13000000 people in the philippine capital are heading back into a 2 week lockdown to slow the spread of the delta variance of coven 19. there was chaos across miller's thousands packed vaccination centers before restrictions came into effect. the philipp

jose >> emily in greenville, california, thank you. >>> when we come back. how sticky notes gave a window of hope to one young cancer patient. >>> there's good news tonight about how hope can appear in the most unusual places, even at the worst of times. 5-year-old meyer is a fighter. he's just conquered cancer but the past few months have not been easy. >> i'm going to show you my room. >> in may, when he was undergoing treatments for a brain tumor at children's mercy kansas city, his parents, liz and cori, helped him find new ways to pass the time. >> to lift his spirits, we, just for fun, put a smiley face post-it note up on the window. >> and then the next day, a surprise. >> yes, yes, the next day, there was a winky face. >> what did you think when you saw that winky face >> made me go, like, happy. >> the mysterious message appearing on another hospital window right across the street it was the handy work of medical-staff coordinator. >> i saw the smiley face up on the window and i thought that's cute maybe i should put something back. >> i have a wind

might have sparked the dixie fire, which shows no signs of abating john hendrick, al jazeera, greenville california. dan porter is director of the california forest program at the nature conservancy. he says the increase in while 5 is related to both climate change and government policy. unfortunately, the last part of this year are becoming a part of our more common trends in california. do a combination of long standing fire suppression, where we excluded fire from, from our forest involved with frequent fire, as well as the effect of climate change on the land management side of things. we know that for us so this year in nevada for example, historically before we settle this part of the country used to burn naturally or because of native american ignition every 10 to 15 years. so fire was very frequent and because of the frequency of natural and cultural fire, the level of fuels, the small trees and the fuels on the ground surface will matter if you will call them we're, we're much lower back then relative to what they are today in about $910.00, we started putting out wildfires actively as a p

might have sparked the dixie fire, which shows no signs of abating john henry and al jazeera greenville california. grace's prime minister is urging people to obey evacuation orders as emergency crews battle dozens of wildfires for a 4th day. he says unprecedented conditions have turned the country into a powder keg. an intense heat wave and droughts of fueling blazes, including this one north of athens, which re ignited off the 5. i just had both it on the control. same bus ravi is that he sent us this report. only hours after an announcement that fires north of athens had been put out, the blaze was back and bigger than before, the order to evacuate. the small town below came suddenly, when the church bells began ringing people panic. and all the storekeeper could do was head up hill and watched the fire closing in. today's fire is overwhelming, isn't it? because it's impossible that after yesterday's fire that everything is burning again, burning whatever's left. we came to the high ground to try to get a sense of how bad this fire really is. and for the last several hours, we've watched it get

our california is largest fire high level, most of a historic gold rush year. a town greenville was home to buildings, more than a century old greece is prime ministers urging people to obey evacuation orders as imagined, decrease battle, dozens of wildfires for full day. he says, unprecedented conditions of turn, the country into a powder keg and he gets to grand forces. he sees the ancient town of banner rock hewn churches. are you unwell? heritage sites in sacred to ethiopia, millions of dollars which more than $13000000.00 people in the philippine capital are headed back into a 2 week lockdown as a friday to slow the spread of the delta variance. the current of ours. there was chaos across manella on thursday as 1000 tact vaccination centers trying to receive shots before restrictions came into effect the philippines as seeing south east asia. second was code 19 outbreak after indonesia has been reporting more than 8000 cases a day on a be low has a laces from manila. of course, this is already the 2nd time that the philippine capital is going through this enhance community

al jazeera, greenville california. if you, if he is going rebels, have seized control of the ancient town of labella in the north and recent weeks, tpl fighters photography, the strategically important to all region as well as i'm hotter where about it is located for the rebels. it's a symbolic victory and a significant incursion felt the town is a unesco world heritage site and the sacred some millions of ethiopian orthodox christians. it's known for its 12th century churches, carved out of rock. the u. s. is calling on the rebels to protect its cultural heritage. china has attacked the us offers of temporary refuge for people from hong kong present. joe biden says anyone from hong kong residing in the us will be allowed to stay for another 18 months and respond to what he said is paging ongoing crackdown on freedoms. well, adrian brown joins us live now from hong kong. adrian, what reaction has there been? so far to the sofa. well kim, as you might expect, the response from china has been fairly blunt. there was a te

al jazeera, greenville california. i was getting one from dan porter. he's the director of the california forest program and the nature conservancy, and joyce is not from san francisco. it's great to have you with us here on al jazeera, our viewers will be watching these report. the far that's burning for 3 weeks. the pictures are certainly all full. just put this in some context foras. one usual are these far as high battle? are they compared to, to previous world? far as which has to be said or are fairly common in this region. well, thank you for having me and our partners go out to all the california and are impacted by wildfires throughout the northern california. unfortunately, law sizes here are becoming part of the ever more common trends in california. do a combination of long standing fire suppression, where we excluded fire from from our forest city, fall with frequent fire, as well as the effects of climate change. so would you say this is a lands management issue, or is this a climate change issue? because you mentioned the policy of fire s

we've learned more than 100 homes are destroyed when a massive wildfire engulfed the town of greenville, californiahas forced a power plant to shut down because its w a too low. >>> today's weather sunny in the northeast, stormy in the upper midwest and great lakes. heavy rain across d more heat in northern california. >>> and finally, she was a trailblazer in the world of comedy and television. >> and now a new podcast dedicated to lucille ball is launching as fans pay tribute on her 110th birthday. here's will ganss. >> reporter: on what would be her 110th birthday some little-known lucille ball facts to celebrate everyone's favorite funny lady. >> i'm on trying to be a good wife, that's all. i can sing and i can dance and i can do a lot of things. you have no idea how challenging i am. >> those iconic red locks weren't always red. she's a natural brunette. and went blond at the beginning her career. she didn't rock the red until "i love lucy." although her hairstylist on the show referred to the hue as golden apricot. >> it's so tasty too. tastes like candy. >> reporter: after dropping out of hi

more from the state's largest fire burning outside greenville, california. >> reporter: overnight the dixie fire exploding to almost half a million acres. over twice the size of new york city. driving more than 30,000 people out of their homes, the inferno has destroyed nearly 600 structures threatening another 13,000. four firefighters injured during a desperate firefight to cut flames. >> people are displaced and many will never return and that's a tragedy. you're seeing here not just a loss of homes and housing. you're seeing entire communities wiped off the map. >> the myers family opened their doors to many fleeing the flames. >> he comes and hangs out. >> sheltering displaced neighbors and offering food and water. >> we're lucky so far because we're still here. >> reporter: bob johns one of the many now homeless. >> it came through so fast that you just couldn't do anything but run. just devastation just killed me. >> he's grateful for the support. >> someone gave you this trailer. >> yeah. >> after you lost yours? >> right. >> reporter: but rebuilding is going to be tough. >> a

well, weird weather at the moment. greenville, california, with a so called dixie fuzz destroyed more than a 1000 homes interrupting mid july. the majority of the town will look at it, burned to the ground more than a dozen other small mountain and rural communities have also been lost to the flames. in the largest wildfire and us history, local residents of course, distraught where you start again after something like that. well, they destroyed their loss. maybe it's too late to help this community. maybe we can help another community. if you're a little easier than what we've had here, everything that alan is now, ashes are twisted metal. it's just all of them, but it has to be ok because what's the alternative? i mean sure. i got a cry. sure, sure. i mean i'm, i'm heartbroken. but you know, that's not gonna, that's not going to rebuild greenville. people will get scattered, misplaced, and it will be a long time. and coming back and, you know, ends up being essentially starts to become an archaeology, se, where a big world is so small to in so many ways. drone footage now from gree

. >> guad venegas in greenville, california, thank you. >>> massive fires are also tearing through largearts of greece, tonight. they are closing in on major historical sites and forcing thousands to flee by land and sea. molly hunter reports from just outside athens. >> reporter: apocalyptic themes. a terrifying overnight escape as more than a thousand people evacuated the island in greece. this is what they saw from the ferries and boats pulling away to safety. the bright-red flames lighting up the sky. a woman clutching her baby. another, wiping away a tear. three hours away in the suburbs of athens, firefighters water bombing flare-ups but they can't keep up. quick, this woman says, the houses are on fire. nearby, a new blaze threatening this hilltop village. on this side of the road, two priests are trying to save their monastery. and then, come with me right here. you have got a single house. apparently, there is one person inside. these are all volunteers. there are no firefighters here. and to the north, flames threatening ancient olympia. this farmer says, when you violently dis

the california largest active wildfire exploded, engulfing the gold rush. you are a town of greenville and threatening several others. a sheriff's office stores b strows, saloons, gas stations, homes, all left and embers. it's 800 residence appear to have escaped following a mandatory evacuation order. over the last 24 hours, we've had explosive fire growth, driven by winds out of the west and southwest media and ologist have given a red flag warning where we have historically dry conditions, low humidity, low fuel moisture, combine those winds that drove the fire. as we drove through mountain passage to reach greenville came another evacuation order for taylorsville, then one after the other for clear creek time town walker lake and the list goes on . the dixie fires been burning for 3 weeks, fueled by dry conditions and high winds, taking out an area of this size of new york city. even with $5000.00 people battling the blaze, it's only 35 percent contained on wednesday. it was the 8th largest fire in california history by thursday. it was 6 across the country, it's shaping up to be a

becoming the worst fire season in california state history. >> zohreen shah joins us now from greenville, california. standing in front of a cafe we're told once a staple in that town. zohreen, we know the heat and drought have been major factors in these wildfires, but you're now learning that a judge is demanding answers from the energy company pg&e. >> reporter: yeah, whit, that's right. pg&e admits their equipment may have started the dixie fire, and that's before the fire exploded in size. now a judge is demanding that they release exactly where they think the fire started and a list of every fire that they think the company may have started this year by mid-august. whit? >> zohreen, thank you. let's turn now to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. rob, those wildfires impacting air quality in several states as well. >> reporter: yeah, eight states, whit, as a matter of fact, on our air quality alerts. that's probably the most wide-reaching impact of these fires. take a look at all the states and areas that are seeing this sort of unhealthy air and hazy sunshine. nearly all of wyoming and c

california. thanks to guad outside greenville >>> a landmark u.n. change this morning has delivered a stark warning. it is quote code red for humanity in about a decade, temperatures will blow past warming levels set in the 2015 paris climate agreement. that headline will get more attention today. >>> the fire, a huge story, but headlines in albany, new york. calls rise for new york's governor to step down. let's get more on that and the wrapping up of the olympics with nbc's frances rivera good morning, frances. >> brian, good morning we start with the taliban which captured a city in northern afghanistan. it is continuing the rapid offensive across the country it is the fifth capital taken by the taliban with the american troop withdrawals. >>> walls are caving in for andrew cuomo one of the top aides has resigned melissa derosa announced the dehe sig dec decision the past two years have been mentally trying. the departure comes after the report by the attorney general alleged the governor harassed 11 women. her name comes up 187 times in the repo

so much going on at the moment. greenville, california said here with the so called dixie, far as destroy, more than a 1000 home thing. and mid july majority, that sound has been raised to the ground. nothing left of it so sad to see it more than a dozen other small mountain rural communities have also the last of the flames and the largest wild fire in us. history of course, goes without saying local residence. well, where do they start? they described their loss. maybe it's too late to help this community. maybe we can help another community. if you're a little easier than what we've had here, everything that alan is now ashes or twisted metal. it's just all it is, but it has to be ok because what's the alternative? i mean sure. i got to cry. sure, i'm sure. i mean, i'm heartbroken, but you know, that's not gonna, that's not going to rebuild greenville. people will get scattered and misplaced, and it will be a long time and coming back and, you know, ends up being essentially starts to become in archaeology, say, we're a big world, but i such a small connected world to token of wasting

the news now we're across through the day, let's go to greenville california and look at the mass there. the so called dixie foss destroyed more than a 1000 homes interrupting in mid july. the majority of the pounds burned to the ground. more creepy and scary, more than a dozen other small mountain and rural communities have also been lost to the flames. and one of the largest wildfires in the state's history, local residents, distraught where you start after something like that, where you start again. well, they described some of them the last to us. maybe it's too late to help this community, but maybe we can help another community to if you're at a little easier than what we've had here. everything that alan is now ashes or twisted metal. it's just all it is, but it has to be ok because what's the alternative? i mean sure. i got a cry. sure, i'm sure. i mean, i'm heartbroken, but you know, that's not gonna, that's not gonna rebuild greenville. people will get scattered and misplaced, and it will be a long time and coming back and, you know, ends up being essentially starts to become

california town. there are so many of them. okay, john 100, there live for us in greenville, northern california. joan, thank key. let's get an update from grace now. won't find that has been threatening . the northern suburbs of athens is once again, i have control, explains jumps and cross the major highways, threatening, densely populated areas. vain. the survey reports now from northern athens. only hours after an announcement that fires north of athens had been put out, the blaze was back and bigger than before, the order to evacuate. the small town below came suddenly, when the church bells began ringing people panic. and all the storekeeper could do was head up hill and watch the fire closing in. today's fire is overwhelming, isn't it? because it's impossible that after yesterday's fire that everything is burning again, burning whatever's left. we came to the high ground to try to get a sense of how bad this fire really is. and for the last several hours, we've watched it get bigger and bigger. spreading wider and faster the water dropping planes and helicopters seemingly have little to no effect on the bl

his arrange shaw, abc news, greenville, california.s the second day in a row smoke blanketed the area. the smoke caused people not only to take notice, but to take precautions. cornell bernard was in sonoma county. >> we've been locked in with covid. now with the air. reporter: stressed about the bad air pumped into the sonoma valley, leaving her loved one country hillsides shredded in smoke. >> w w party. people were getting sick. reporter: tourists have been smelling smoke for days. >> i can tell how it's a little foggy looking. >> i definitely noticed in our tour guide because our tour guide told us to would be a little smoky, so noticing a lot of that. >> air quality moved to moderate level saturday, but the air was unhealthy for sensitive groups. >> it does look bad in the bay area, especially north bay and east bay. reporter: that's for sure. the smoke blanketed north diablo. the smoke so thick, the spectacular view was nonexistent. all that smoke sending a not-so-subtle health message. >> will be are telling people is if you sme

john henderson is near the town of greenville in california and joined us. now. john, just tell us what's happening around you and roughly how far roughly the distance between where you are now and greenville. well, we are very close to greenville that is the town that this dixie fire just in gold 24 hours ago. what happened was high winds checked up, winds of over 65 kilometers per hour, and this is the outskirts of greenville you can see a car burning over here soon, some 1st responders responding to that scene. and then if you just look behind me here, this is a helicopter that has been dropping either water or fire retarded on some of these fires because they've crossed it over to both sides of the road. and if we keep moving over this way, that town that's sign, they're welcome you to the town of greenville. and as we move on here, you can see those 1st sponder is going into the town, which has been just absolutely decimated. and then over here, these are vehicles that were apparently abandoned outside of down as people left. and you can see they have been, s

california. the dixie fire destroyed most of the town of greenville overnight. it is now the sixth largest fire in state history. morgan norwood has the latest on these fires. >> reporter: the town of greenville, california, swallowed by the exploding dixie fire. from the sheriff's office to the library, the fast-moving flames lev the background. >> we lost tonight and there are just not words -- >> reporter: in nearby chester, the dixie fire is closing in and thousands of residents are pulled to evacuated. one business owner watering down her nursery before the wall of fire approaches. >> i am setting up sprinklers on timers, that hopefully we can save this business and all these plants that depend on us every day. >> reporter: as california's sixth largest in history, the fire has burned for three weeks, destroying 222,000 acres. the forest service calling this fire season a national crisis. the congressman says something has to be done. >> in government we have not been able to get the job done. i will take up the fight even harder. >> reporter: meanwhile nea

joining me now from greenville, california, nbc news correspondent.ing us on this. we appreciate it. you got thousands under evacuation there. nearly an entire town is destroyed. how much worse do they fear this could get? >> it's hard to say. the dixie fire is contained to 25%. the fear is what is coming later in the week. you mentioned possibly dangerous elements that could make it even more complicated when battling the dixie fire. and that includes temperatures that could reach triple digits, plus forecasted thunderstorms that could bring lightning and spark additional flames. these are also contributors to things of fire extreme behavior. the u.s. forest service witnesses some just yesterday. take a look at this image. this is a fire whirl that was connected to the dixie fire. all just things forcing firefighters to retreat as the dixie fire continues to engulf half a million acres of land. we are in the heart of much of the damage here in greenville. historic mining town. and much of it completely unrecognizable. you look behind me, this used to

you're seeing greenville, california here. it was a small mountain town in the path of this fire.is there is is this over for greenville? what do the residents do? they evacuated but what now? >> they were evacuated and they have not returned. this entire town is still under a cloud of ash. so there is ash everywhere. you see it on my finger, that is the ash following and continues to fall. here is one of the few remaining walls. this used to be the postoffice. a few steps in this direction, complete def sags. the entire post office burned. you have vehicles, everything that people left behind. the only things that stands for some of these moments is chimneys. there is very few buildings that survived. you mentioned it is the third largest fire in california history, but now this is also the largest burning fire in the country. so that is how bad it is and let's remember that all of the west right now is experiencing a drought. 85% under extreme drought conditions and this made the firefighters job more difficult. the last number we received here is that 1400 structures remain aff

this is greenville, california, at least what is left of it.t 75% of all structures in town burned to the ground. the fire has claimed at least 400 in total. but remember there are 14,000 still in the threat of this fire. meanwhile, i spoke to the sheriff here. he has a home here and he grew up here and we spoke to him in front of the sheriff's department and he spoke about the heartbreak that residents must be going through. >> it is devastating. it is been a long few days to try to process all of this. i don't know that i still have processed it. i'm just trying to keep myself so busy that i guess i really can't. and i till have other communities have that threatened by this fire. >> reporter: meanwhile, if you spend any time on the ground, the air quality is terrible. you could feel it. it is bad here in the state and bad across the region and in fact colorado, denver, had some of the worst air quality in the world because of the fires that are burning in northern california. back to you. >> that was nbc's steve patterson reporting. >>> next

the fire tore through greenville, california, destroying 75% of that historic town.tive fires currently burning across 15 mostly western states. get this. more than 2 million acres have already burned. >> we're seeing truly frightening fire behavior. we have a lot of veteran firefighters who have served for 20, 30 years and have never seen behavior like this. >> for more, let's bring in meteorologist tom sader in the weather center. what's the latest on these big fires and is there any relief on the weather front? >> unfortunately, no. we're looking at winds in excess, 20, 25 mile per hour gusts with that dixie fire. this number is going in the wrong direction. notice in south dakota, the pak isn't until september. dixie fire is a single fire. notice the complex, complex. for a single fire to get in the top ten, that says something. and those who deny climate change, all top ten are in the last two decades. but top eight are from 2017. that is staggering. now you're going to talk about more fires. we're way ahead of schedule from last year. almost 39, 40,000 fires as

in that town is nbc's steve patterson in greenville, california. that's about three and a half hours northeast of sacramento. i saw smoldering behind you yesterday. i'm seeing still smoke and haze behind you today, where a thriving community once stood. >> reporter: yeah, that really is the story today. it's what you can't see because visibility is so poor. we're almost in this snow globe of wildfire smoke because the layer that has settled in makes things extremely complicated. what i can see is awful, it is the ruins of this town, burnt down. nearly 75% of all structures, gone. more than 100 homes, gone. meanwhile, firefighters still on the front lines of this massive fire and they're working with extremely poor conditions. we talked to them about what they're dealing with, as well as survivors. the dixie fire march of flames, swallowing more than 400,000 acres, becoming the third largest in california history this small town of greenville, transformed into a field of ruin and heartbreak. >> we watched it swirling and burning trees, getting close

. >> reporter: a wildfire's wrath leaving another california town in ash, greenville, california, destroyedas stood since the gold rush. >> it was scary, like one of those apocalyptic movies you see with fire and wind and people going everywhere. >> reporter: the powerful winds sent the fire tearing through town. residents were told to evacuate, but not everyone did. >> we had firefighters getting guns pulled on them because people don't want to evacuate. >> reporter: the fire is now the size of los angeles and the sixth largest fire in california's history. more than 60 structures burned with the number expected to rise. >> there were towers of flames twice as tall as the trees. >> reporter: and firefighters on the front line of a new threat. the growing river fire is burning in an area that hasn't seen flames in 100 years with drought-brittle brush ready to ignite and pleas to evacuate should the time come. >> when allowed to go back in there, it's either standing or a pile of ash. that's when it will hit us. >> reporter: at the doorstep of another community, another tense night lies ahea

let's bring in emily in greenville, california.says they simply can't keep up? >> reporter: that's right, hey, garrett. in small towns like this one they find resources are thin and so volunteer firefighters will be called in numerous directions, and that's what we found in will, and this town has since been decimated, and he was called back to his family's rank, a 500-acre ranch, and he calls some of the chaotic moments. listen here. >> it was 20 hours a day, anytime the wind would come up we had spot fires everywhere just like you are seeing here all over the ranch, up by the houses and on the hill. every time i would fill the truck up with water they would be calling me and saying, hey, there's another one, you have to come back now. we just couldn't get to any of it quick enough. >> reporter: i want to show you just some of the elements these firefighters are up against. take a look at the video of a fire tornado, just fierce as the dixie fire continues to bull doze forward, and just 22% contained so this won't be a thing of th

start moving forward and doing whatever is next for us the dixie fire which burned through greenville, california. this week is now the 3rd largest in the state's history. >> currently the largest fire in the country. it is covering an area larger than the city of los angeles the fuel conditions feel moisture content of the fields that amber. >> and again drought conditions over. so it really seeing after so many years of drought you're seeing what's really happening. how the how the fire behaviors acting. >> those are our jebaily reporting. the dixie fire is currently 35% contained. more on the weather conditions around those fires to check in with chief meteorologist lawrence karnow point. yeah, we have those big wins with that low pressure center moving through yesterday and that really changed everything around the fires. all those whipping winds expanded. those fires. and now we're sitting here. the winds have switched again, we're seeing some smoke rolling back into the bay area skies. you see down below she the fog and then you see the sunlight in between, then up above that. is that thick

this is main street in greenville, california now gone. called on leaders in washington to help. >> there's no words. we haven't been able to get the job done. we've got to stop this and get d.c. to pay attention and sacramento to pay attention. forgot the politics. forgot the nonsense. we have to stop making this happen by inattention to what is obvious. >> josh catch bell just arrived in that area and joins me live from chico, california. this fire is on a destructive path, josh. are people taking up the evacuation orders there? >> reporter: yeah. pamela, sadly not everyone is evacuating despite the warning from authorities. we're told by officials that they were going door to door in this area warning people to leave and some opted to stay behind and we're waiting for an update. take it a look at this video from greenville last night. this was a town that was completely destroyed, ravaged, homes, businesses, completely gone, and although it was tough to get out of that town, it was also tough to get in. look at this video we got from sa

residents greenville, california, home week the dixie gutted much the small rush burning than a month. fire more 700,000 and destroyed least homes. lost but we've we've so good people i never there were that many people there dry windy further the dixie fire now about 35. nearly 6000. are battling flames, but terrain cruise to fight much of the fire from the air. her south cal door grew size more than 73,000. in just few days. fire more than 100 buildings and devastated town of grizzly flats. everything we owned. that we've is, you due to fire, cooler slowed flames, crews to clear dense and get a handle on any spot fires. this they for summer winds could make conditions, getting them ready go at fire a push over that hill back there. these should in good position they stand alone and you get go. several california's forest closed beginning in an effort prevent fires in los angeles. larcenous fox news smoke from wildfires over the bay today, the second the alert a row conditions the bay area worse the areas, but today we are expected to get a much break. many have been a close on air q

steve patterson is there in greenville, california. what happens now? the town is obliterated.ot at clean up time because this is an active fire zone. the fire fight continues in the areas that surrounded this area and for hot spots that still remain within the city limits or within the town limits. what we're seeing is not much because, again, we continue to be under this inversion layer where the smoke just settles and rests in one place which is terrible, really terrible for air quality. county health departments as far away as the bay area are telling people just stay inside because it's so bad. however, it is good because as you see i'm wearing a jacket. temperatures are cooler. humidity is a bit higher. there's no wind. this gives firefighters a chance to make progress on containment. it's almost seemingly impossible to stop the spread of the flames as the dixie fire has grown even larger. there are still 14,000 homes in the threat of this fire. firefighters are doing everything they can but as you see, obviously, the town of greenville decimated. this building stood sinc

nbc's steve patterson is in greenville, california.s unbelievable that that was witness a thriving little town there. what are officials telling you? >> reporter: fire officials say they caught a break this weekend because of the red flag winds that pushed the fire into town here died down before the weekend. an inversion layer formed. it all formed in one spot, there was nothing to move it. so it settled. it makes the atmosphere cooler, humidity rises, temperatures drop, and they can get a handle on it, because there's no wind to move the fire to a new front. you can finally see behind me, the destruction is unlike anything i can describe. what this means, because you can see this inversion layer is starting to lift, so the worry is all of this smoke will be pushed out as it lifts up, almost like a dome, if you put it off, all that steam has to go somewhere. this is dangly wildfire smoke. this is main street of a town that as existed since the california gold rush, but this is what firefighters are truly worried about. because there's

joining me from greenville, california, nbc's guad. what are you seeing on the ground?through it's been under a cloud of smoke and ash. authorities coming by to try to see some of the damage. they're still speaking about some people unaccounted for. the residents are not allowed to come back in. you can see the damage, it's not just buildings and vehicles were left behind. there was one person that was able to come by. he is a business owner and also a county superintendent who got permission to come into the area. he own also the pharmacy that used to be right there. it was a historic building from the 1800s and we were here at the moment he waspretty much go. we'd be lucky to have a figure loaner that, i would imagine. probably is going to be higher. >> reporter: so governor newsom came by and spoke so some of the firefighters here earlier today. and he also mentioned that they are working with the federal government to try and find some type of aid because a lot of these homes were lost. the governor says a lot of these residents probably didn't have insurance and th

overnight, the dixie fire tears through a california town as nearly 100 wildfires burn in the country. wildfire crisis. >> we lost greenville tonight. there's just not words. >> burning almost every building in sight. california's eighth largest wildfire ever burning more than 270,000 acres. residents forced to flee their homes. we're live on the ground and ginger with the heat threat ahead. >>> the delta variant now responsible for 93% of all new covid cases in the u.s. healthcare workers pushed to their limits. louisiana faces its highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began. dr. fauci warns we could hit 200,000 cases a day again. he joins us today. only on "gma." >>> defiant. calls intensifying for new york governor andrew cuomo to resign as four separate prosecutors across the state launch criminal probes after that blistering report finding he sexually harassed 11 women. one of them now planning legal action. as new york state lawmakers weigh impeachment. >>> new overnight. bill gates breaks his silence speaking about his divorce from his wife melinda and what he's saying about his relationship with jeff