Chico, California — The Park Fire burning near Chico in Northern California continues to grow as blazes grow, becoming one of the largest wildfires in state history, triggering additional evacuations now spanning four counties and targeting an area still recovering from a deadly wildfire just six years ago.
However, the weather forecast provided good news for firefighters as the weekend began without triple-digit temperatures or fire weather warnings over the past few days.
CAL Fire is currently The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres as of midday Saturday. Ranking this fire No. 7 on California’s list It is the largest fire to have ever burned. At least 134 homes and buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and another 4,200 are at risk, according to fire officials. Evacuation warnings are currently in effect for more than 50 community zones across four counties, with more than 4,400 people evacuated.
“The slope and winds combined to create an extreme fire event that caused significant growth,” CAL fire officials said. I wrote this in my Saturday morning update.“Damage assessment teams are working to identify structures that have been damaged or destroyed.”
No fatalities have been reported so far, but two people are being treated for minor injuries.
Vanessa Starling, who lives near the hard-hit town of Cohasset, He told FOX 2 Bay Area They could hear it as they evacuated their home.
“It was pretty bad. There was one area where there was a little fire tornado, and we could hear it. We could hear the fires burning as we were leaving,” Sterling said, worried about her family’s home. “Our house is on land that’s been in the family since 1905.”
Late Friday night, an evacuation warning was issued for the entire town of Paradise, California, meaning all residents should prepare to leave in case the fire approaches.
“Due to fire activity and projected wind speeds, all Paradise residents should be prepared to evacuate and await further information,” Cal Fire said.
It’s a particular reminder of the dangers of wildfire for this community. The 2018 Campfire The flames spread across the city, killing dozens of people.
In addition to the evacuation shelter in Chico, additional shelters were opened in Red Bluff, Los Molinos and at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley.
About 2,500 firefighters were battling the blaze as of Friday night, and California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, allowing additional state resources to be deployed to fight the blaze.
The arson suspect remains in jail awaiting indictment.
Investigators say the Park Fire started as a bizarre case of arson on Wednesday.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said witnesses saw fire coming from under the left wheelbase of a car believed to belong to the suspect’s mother, and a man standing next to the vehicle watched the car burn.
Investigators said the man stayed inside the vehicle for a short time before getting out and pushing the burning vehicle down a 60-foot bank into a ravine, where the vehicle eventually became engulfed in flames and spread to nearby brush before eventually catching fire on a nearby residential street.
The suspect was identified that evening and arrested early Thursday morning. He is being held without bail in the Butte County Jail and awaits arraignment on Monday.
Weather finally gives firefighters a break
After days of battling triple-digit heat and high winds that led to fire weather warnings across much of Northern California, a shift in weather patterns has finally given firefighters a temporary reprieve.
Cool ocean breezes have been blowing inland, not only dropping temperatures to the upper 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit, but also increasing humidity.
No weather warnings were issued on Saturday and the trend was expected to continue into mid-week, but there is an increased chance of temperatures warming up later in the week and getting back into triple digits again.
