INDIAN FALLS, Calif. — Wildfires in California are becoming larger and larger due to drier heat and global warming.

The Dixie Fire burning in Northern California is the second wildfire in its history to approach a million acres. The U.S. National Forest Service of Plumas County says they need all hands on deck since fire season still is not over yet.

Forest Fuels Officer Ryan Bauer has been working the Dixie Fire since it broke out in July and says part of the reason it destroyed so many acres is due to fuel moisture.

“Fuel moisture is one of the critical elements of what drives fire growth, and this year, our fuel moistures are lower than we’ve seen probably in recorded history” he said.

Bauer added the areas that didn’t ignite were due to burn scars from the Sheep and North Complex fires that broke out last year. Bauer says fuel treatment also helped in certain areas where trees were removed followed by prescribed burns before the Dixie Fire started.

The Plumas National Forest is 1.1 million acres, and the fire has burned about 70% of the preserve. Bauer said his team treats about 30% of it, but to be successful, they would have to provide fuel treatment to about 60% of the landscape.

“Historically, it happened naturally because we had frequently lightning fires or indigenous fires that would come through an area every few years and reduce that fuel load down to nothing or a minimal amount,” he said.

Bauer added that it would cost billions of dollars to provide the resources and treatments needed to get ahead of climate change for future fires.

"I think the only thing that would have really changed the outcome of this fire is if a large portion of landscape would have burned in the last five years," he said.

Bauer said since so many acres were burned by the Dixie Fire, it’ll help crews battle future flames for the next 10 years.