Dixie Fire Nears Northern California County Seat (PHOTOS)

The fire did burn structures after jumping Highway 395 south of Janesville, California, on Monday night. Evacuations were issued in the town. The blaze is fueled by red flag conditions, including wind gusts up to 40 mph expected from late Tuesday morning until near midnight.

The Dixie Fire, the largest fire burning in the U.S., continues to threaten thousands of homes in Northern California. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed by the Dixie Fire, according to CalFire, and the AP reported that nearly 15,000 structures were under threat on Monday, The AP reported.

Thunderstorms fueled the fire's advance into Taylorsville, California, over the weekend, where several structures were incinerated, KPIX reported.

The Dixie Fire has burned more than 944 square miles according to Inciweb. It was 31% contained on Tuesday.

A small wildfire, dubbed the Parley's Canyon Fire, shut down Interstate 80 on Saturday east of Salt Lake City, Utah, and forced the evacuation of about 8,000 residences. The fire, which is less than a square mile, is only 21% contained on Tuesday, Inciweb reported.

Two blazes burned up large areas of rangeland and were threatening the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana before firefighters were able to beat back some of the flames over the weekend.

Mandatory evacuations were lifted Sunday in the tribal headquarters town of Lame Deer, Montana, but remained in place for people with medical conditions.

There are currently more than 100 wildfires burning across a dozen western states, with 24 of those fires located in Montana, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fires are fueled by an ongoing drought in the region. More than 87% of the West is under severe drought conditionsor in a worse category of drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor reports.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.