Eva Gorman, who has lived in the town for 17 years, said that it was home to her and her husband when they bought the house where their son was born.
"We walked up the front of the home and said, "Oh wow, that's it!" She pointed out a spot where her aunt's bed from Italy and her grandmother's dining room chairs fit perfectly. "You never know what you'll find that fits like a glove or shoe.
The fire that ravaged the Gold Rush-era Sierra Nevada community, which was home to about 1,000 people, has left the town in ashes. Many of the buildings, including wooden structures more than 100 years old, were destroyed by the fire.
Gorman was not happy with the news that the winds would calm down and change direction for the weekend. Gorman was informed that her home had been destroyed, but she is still waiting to see it with her eyes.
Gorman claimed that she was able to get photos from the wall, some of her most treasured jewelry, and important documents before fleeing Greenville. She is now accepting the fact that some of the things she left behind might be irreplaceable.
She said, "There's a picture I keep picturing in my head of my son when we were 2, he is 37 now." And you think, "It's okay, I have the negatives." Then you stop and think. "Oh. No. No.
After growing by 110 sq miles (285 km) overnight, the Dixie Fire was still raging Friday, more than New York City.
Capt. Mitch Matlow, spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
Friday morning's fire was still at 35% containment. It now covers 676 miles (1,751 km) of land. Although no injuries or deaths were reported, the fire continues to threaten more than 10,000 homes.
Officials haven't yet determined the exact number of buildings that were destroyed, but Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns said on Thursday that there were "well over 100" homes that had been set on fire in or near the town.
Johns, a Greenville resident for over 30 years, said that "my heart is broken by what has happened there."
Officials said that 100 homes and other buildings were set on fire by the River Fire, which broke out Wednesday close to Colfax, a small town of approximately 2,000. It was about two hours south. According to state fire officials, there was no containment. About 6,000 people were evacuated in Nevada and Placer counties.
The Dixie Fire, which lasted three weeks, was one of 100 large, active fires that were burning in 14 states. Most of them are in the West, where there has been a lot of drought in recent years.
The fire's cause was under investigation, but the Pacific Gas & Electric utility has said it may have been sparked when a tree fell on one of the utility's power lines.
On Thursday firefighters were unable to shift firefighters to hot spots due to the storms and smoke clouds caused by the fire's strong winds.
Chris Carlton, Plumas National Forest supervisor, stated that "we're seeing truly terrifying fire behavior." "We are truly in uncharted territory."
Heat waves and historic drought tied to climate change have made wildfires harder to fight in the American West. Climate change, according to scientists, has made the region warmer and dryer over the past 30 year and will continue making wildfires more destructive and more frequent.
Greenville was hit from two directions. Firefighters were already there trying to save the town, but they first had to put their lives on the line to rescue those who refused to evacuate. They had to load people into cars to get out.
Jake Cagle, chief of the incident management operations section, stated that firefighters are having guns pulled on them because people don’t want to evacuate.
Officials said that the flames also reached Chester, north of Greenville. However, crews were able to save homes and businesses, and only minor damage to a few buildings.
Paradise was also affected by the fire. It was largely destroyed in a wildfire that was sparked in 2018 by PG&E equipment. The wildfire killed 85 people and was the deadliest U.S. wildfire for at least a century.
Gorman stated that she wonders if another California town can be turned to ashes.
"That's all I think. Gorman said, "It's happening again." It's unbelievable.
