California wildfire explodes in size with no sign of stopping, scalding 307K acres
The largest California wildfire in three years has ballooned to over 307,000 acres — nearly the size of Los Angeles — and was still 0% contained on Saturday.
“The Park Fire continued to burn aggressively due to steep terrain and winds,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection wrote in an update Saturday morning.
New evacuation orders and warnings were issued to residents in multiple towns in the fire’s path through the northern part of the state’s central valley, the agency said.
The blaze started in Chico, about 90 miles north of Sacramento, on Wednesday and has since forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate.
It as torched more than 134 homes and other buildings and is threatening to destroy 4,200 structures in its path, Cal Fire said.
The 120-person community of Mineral, where the Lassen Volcanic National Park headquarters is located, was evacuated as the fire barreled toward Highway 36 and east toward the park, according to reports.
The Park Fire is now ranked as the 8th largest wildfire in Golden State history.
“There’s a tremendous amount of fuel out there and it’s going to continue with this rapid pace,” Cal Fire incident commander Billy See said.
The flames were ripping through grass, brush, timber and dead vegetation at up to 8 square miles, or 5,000 acres, per hour, See said.
One photo showed a lot filled with vintage cars and trucks left toasted in its wake.
Freak “firenados” — fire tornados — were captured on video spiraling through Chico streets and shared to X by NorCal Skywarn.
Billowing smoke and glowing flames could be seen from space, satellite video taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed.
The fire was briefly updated to being 3% contained but was dropped back down as it roared across Butte and Tehama counties, which are under a state of emergency.
Open burning is currently prohibited in Tehama and the air quality is projected to reach “very unhealthy” levels, according to the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District.
Firefighting efforts were ramped up Saturday to include 61 crews, 231 engines, 2,484 personnel, 16 helicopters and numerous air tanker planes for fire suppression missions as conditions allow, according to Cal Fire.
Experts say the dense, bone-dry wilderness in the area contributed to its rapid spread through an area that hasn’t been thinned out by recent wildfires, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The inferno brought back painful memories for those who experienced the deadly Camp Fire in 2018, which burned in nearby Paradise, just 20 minutes from where the Park Fire started.
The entire town of Paradise was ordered to evacuate Friday night.
The Camp Fire was the most destructive in the state’s history, killing 85 people and scorching 11,000 homes, after it was ignited by faulty Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment.
But that blaze and massive Dixie Fire in 2021 both missed Chico.
Authorities said the Chico fire was sparked by a man pushing a burning car into a ravine in Bidwell Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Police arrested 42-year-old Ronnie Stout Thursday on arson charges.
Stout is currently on probation for a DUI, the Sacramento Bee reported, and was convicted of child molestation in 2001 and robbery with great bodily injury in 2002.
If found to have maliciously started the fire, Stout could face up to nine years in state prison but given his previous two “strikes,” he could get a life sentence under California law.
Only 10-15% of the states wildfires are started by arson, the outlet reported, with non-human activity including lightning and power lines to blame.
The Chico blaze is one of many wildfires spreading across the West.
