US firefighters face ‘critical day’ as Dixie Fire threatens towns

Thunderstorms are pushing flames closer to two towns as thousands of firefighters battle massive California blaze.

Firefighters in the western United States faced “another critical day” as thunderstorms pushed flames closer to two towns not far from where California’s Dixie Fire destroyed much of an historic community last week. The thunderstorms, which began on Friday, did not produce much rain but whipped up wind and created lightning strikes, forcing crews to focus on using bulldozers to build lines and keep the blaze from reaching Westwood. The town of about 1,700 people was placed under evacuation orders on August 5.