SUSANVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters face more dangerously windy weather as they struggle to keep the nation's largest wildfire from moving toward a Northern California county seat and other small communities.

Forecasters have issued red flag warnings of critical fire weather conditions for most of Tuesday in the area of the month-old Dixie Fire. Authorities say the fire is only a few miles from Susanville, the seat of Lassen County and home to some 18,000 people, two state prisons and a casino.

The fire has already destroyed more than 1,000 homes and other buildings and is only a third contained.