OF THE ARTICLE OF E THCALDOR FIRE AND THE EFFORTS TO GET IT UNDER CONTROL. NOW WE WANT TO MOVE TO THE DIXIE FIRE. IT IS BURNING IN HIS 50TH DAY TODAY. WE HAVE SOME VIDEO TO SHOW YOU FROM ALERT WILDFIRE’S ANTELOPE MOUNTAIN CAMERA. IT SHOWS THE HAZE OVER THE PLUMAS COUNTY AREA. SO MUCH SMOKE STILL. THE FIRE IS MORE THAN 856,000 ACRES. IT IS 55% CONTAINED. WE WANT TO CHECK IN WITH THE PLUMAS COUNTY SHERIFF NOW. SH ERIFF TODD JOHNS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. YOU HAVE BNEE DEALING WITH THIS FIRE FOR 50 DAYS, ALMOST TWO MONTHS. HOW IS EVERYONE HOLDING UP? DOOU Y SEE ANY SIGNS OF THE FIRE SLOWING DOWN? SHERIFF JOS:HN GOOD AFTERNOON. WE ARE PRETTY EXHAUSTED. FOLKS ARE REALLY STARTING TO, IT IS WEARING ON US. IT IS WEARING ON THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE A SMALL COMMUNITY AND CLOSE KNIT SO WE ARE TRYING TO HOLD EACH OTHER OUT. WE HAD FIRES BEFEOR THIS ONEO S WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING -- DEALING WITH FIRE, THE SUGAR FIREUT O EAST ALMOST DIRECTLY WHERE THIS ONE HAS BURNED TO NOW BEFORE JULY. IT HAS BEEN A LONG ROAD. LISA: OUR HEARTS GO OUT TALO L OF YOU THERE. IT WASNE O THING YOU WEER ALREADY DEALING WITH, THE PANDEMIC AND COVID AND GETTING KIDS BACK INTO SCHOO L.ARE PEOPLE STILL EVACUATED IN PLUMAS COUNTY? SHERIFF JOHNS: THEY A.RE RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE ABOUT 2100 PEOPLE THAT ARE UND AER MANDATORY EVACUATION AND WE HAVE ABOUT ANOTHER 6000 FOLKS UNDER AN EVACUATNIO WARNING. I CURRENTLY HAVE PPLEEO THAT ARE UNDER MANDATORY EVACUATION NOW THAT WERE UNDER A MANDATORY EVACUATION FROM THE PREVIOUS FIRE. THIS FE ISIR -- I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THERE IS AN END IN SIGHT. I HAVE SOME LARGE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE FAIRLY CSELO TO AN AREA THAT COULD GO ON TO MANDATORY EVACUATION TODAY OR LATER THIS EVENGIN AND WE HAVE TO KEEP WATCHING THE FIRE WEATHER AND ETH WIND AND I AM HOPING NOT. AGAIN, THIS THING KEEPS GOING. LI:SA HOPE IS SO IMPORTANT AND STAYING OPTIMISTIC IS IMPORTANT. IT IS HARD. IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME, I THINK THIS FIRE STARDTE ON JULY 14 OR MI D JULY. IT SEEMSLIKE JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT IT WAS STARTING TO DIE DOWN, IT FLARED BACK UP. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE BIGGEST LEARNINGS YOU HAVE TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS FIRE? WE HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. SHERIFF JOHNS: THE REATYLI IS, LIKE THE TIME THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED, IF WE WERE NOT A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUTYNI, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE WOULD BEOING D RIGHT NOW. EVERY DAY, WE HOLD EACH OTHER UP. WE HAVE FOLKS THAT YOU CAN SEE ARE GETTING BROKEN DOWN D ANWE HAVE TO HOLD THEM UP. I CONTUEIN TO BE ENCOURAGED BECAEUS I STILL GET A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF OUTSEID SUPPORT, NOT ONLY FROM MY FRIENDS B,UT PEOPLE I HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE AND FOLKS THAT ARE WILNG TLIO START HELPING US. THE REALITY IS WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SO LONG, WE ARE IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS. ESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIES LIKE CANYON DAM AND GENREVILLE AND THE HIGHWAY 70 CORRIDOR AND INDIAN FALLS AND ALL THOSE PLACES. WHEN WE SAW AN ACTIVE FIRE ATTH IS THREATENING OTHER COMMUNITIES. I THINK THAT IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF IN THE STATE TO BE IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS AND SLLTI DEALING WITH ETH FIRES. WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THE SUPPORT THATE W GET AND SUPPORT WE GIVE EACH OTHER. THAT IS ALL I CAN REALLY SAY. LI:SA HOW ARE YOUR SCHOOLS AND HOW IS THAT TAKI PNGLACE? AS A PARENT, IT IS HARD ENOUGH THIS SCHOOL YEAR. LAST SCHOOL YREA AND THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND THIS SCHOOL YEAR, ALREADY HARD ENOUGH. SO MANY THINGS TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC STILL. YOU’VE GOT ALL THAT GOING ON AND IF YOU HAVE TOE B EVACUATED, HOW ARE PEOPLE MANAGING? SHERIFF JOS:HN IOU WLD LIKE TO GIVE YOU THE HONEST ANSWER. I WILL GIVEOU Y THE HONEST ANSWER. I THINK PEOPLE JUST COPE. WE HAVE COPED WITH THIS BEFORE .THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT ON OUR CHILDREN’S OF ALL AGES -- ON OUR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. MY DAUGHTER IS A TEACHER AT THE LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL. WHEN THESE WARNINGS ARE GOING OFF, WE HAVE KIDS IN THE CLASSROOM THAT ARE TRAUMATIZED. THEY CRY AND HAVE TO BE CONSOLED. THAT IS JUST ONE CLASSRO.OM AS WE TRY TO BEGIN THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE HAVE ONE SCHOOL NOW IN GREENVILLE WHERE THEY DECIDDE NOT TO HAVE LOCAL CLASSES THE.RE THEY ARE WORKING ON GETTING THEOS KIDS ALTERNATE LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. WE HAVE ANOTHER SCHOO TLHAT IS POTENTIALLY GOING TO BE THREATENED BY THIS FIRE. THAT IS GOING TO BE A DIFFICULT SITUATION. WE HAVE EVERY SCHOOL WITHIN THE COUNTY HAS SUSTAINEDMO SKES DAMAGE -- SMOKE DAMAGE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS, INCLUDING THE LOCAL COLLE.EG THE IMPACTS OF THIS FIRE ARE GOING TO BE YEARTOS COME, NOT JUST ON THE DEVASTATION LEVEL OF FOLKS WHO HAVE LTOS RESIDENCES OR HAVE RESIDENCES DESTROYED, BUT SOAL JUST THE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE. YOU MENTIONED COVID. COMBINE THAT WITH COVID. THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ROAD FORS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ROAD CITIZENS, BUT I CONTINUTOE BE HELPFUL AND WE WILL SAY THAT WE ARE JUST GOING TO STICK TOGETHER AND GET THROUGH IT. LISA: ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS A GREAT PLAN. WE JUST APPRECIATE YOU AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL ARE DOG.IN ALL OF THE EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AND THE TEACHERS LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER. ALL OF YOU DOING SUCH HEROIC WORK RIGHT NOW AND JUST SENDING OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO YOUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY AS THIS IS THE 50TH DAY OF THE DIXIE FIRE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHERI.FF WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIM E.I KNOW YOU ARE VERY BUSY. SHERIFF JOHNS: THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND I JUST WANT TO SAY ALL ETH FIREFIGHTERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL THAT HAVE BEEN SENT TO ME, ALL OF OUR CITIZENS, WE JUST HAVE TO STICK TOGETH.ER YOU ARE AMAZING AND WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS. LISA: THANK YOU. IF YOU WANT TO HELP, WE HAVE WAYS TO HELP ON KCRA 3.COM AND THE KCRA 3 APP.