July The two major fires, the Dotta and Sugar, were ignited by lightning strikes on June 30 and July 2, respectively. the fires burned a combined by July 11, 2021. Governor
Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the complex on July 17, 2021. ;Dotta Fire Burning on Horton Ridge, to the west of
Dixie Mountain, the Dotta Fire started on June 30, 2021. The Dotta Fire was 100 percent contained by July 22, 2021. It was first reported at around 10:30 AM on July 3, 2021, Despite significant fire growth on July 3 due to dry conditions, cloud cover and humidity helped tamper fire activity on July 4, allowing crews to make containment progress. Twenty firefighters from
Puerto Rico arrived to help fight the fires alongside California crews. Houses and outbuildings in the immediate area were threatened, with fire crews implementing structure protection on July 3. By the next morning, July 4, the Sugar Fire had burned and was 15 percent contained. That warning was rescinded on July 5 due to the fire's lack of growth. In the late afternoon of July 6, the Sugar Fire jumped containment lines, fueled by gusty winds. Burning northeasterly, it grew . As a result, mandatory evacuations were put in place for residents in portions of Beckwourth. Evacuation warnings were put back in place for Dixie Valley and extended to Frenchman Cove. An evacuation center opened in
Portola, California. Due to the fire's increasing behavior due to dry, hot and windy conditions, more mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for Dooley, Big Cove, Frenchman Cove, Frenchman Village and Frenchman Lake including all campgrounds and residences around the lake and Maddalena. The fire pushed towards Dixie Lookout in the north and began spotting around Frenchman Lake. The United States Forest Service closed forest access for the Beckwourth Complex area and shut down numerous roads that access the forest, including
Highway 284, on July 9. That same day, residents in the Doyle Grade area in Lassen County were evacuated. The fire continued to expand towards the evacuated Doyle Grade area and eventually created a
pyrocumulonimbus cloud, producing its own lightning. By the morning of July 10, the Sugar Fire had burned , moving further northeast. Additional evacuation centers were opened in
Susanville, California and
Reno, Nevada. That day, the fire reached
Highway 395 and closures were put in place.The Sugar Fire continued to grow, threatening communities in
Washoe County, Nevada. This resulted in evacuations for Rancho Haven, Fish Springs, and
Flanigan Flats. Another evacuation center was opened in Reno to accommodate. However, the fire did not cross the state line. By July 12, the fire was 23 percent contained on the south side of the fire. Highway 365 was reopened. Additional Lassen County evacuations took place. The Doyle Fire Protection District reported that an estimated 20 homes were destroyed by the fire. A few days later, on July 16, the fire encroached on Highway 395, leading to another brief closure. By the end of the week, it was reported that 33 homes were destroyed in the community of Doyle in Lassen County by the Sugar Fire. The next day, July 21, mandatory evacuations were lifted for all Plumas County areas.
August On August 2, the fires were a combined 98 percent contained and burned . The Forest Service reduced the size of the closure of forest land to an area slightly larger than the fire burn scar. The closure remained in place until September 1, 2021.
September On September 6, the
Dixie Fire burned up to the fire's scar and prevented any further growth along the Dixie Fire's eastern portion. On September 22, the Beckwourth Complex was 100% contained. ==Effects==