CHICO, Calif. — Firefighters battling California’s largest wildfire this year have contained a third of the flames, thanks in part to cooler temperatures, but the blaze could spread further if temperatures return to triple digits, fire officials said Sunday.
Calorie counts are rising, and temperatures are dropping, giving firefighters a “great opportunity to make significant progress” on the blaze in the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Park Fire has burned 627 square miles (1,623 square kilometers) since it began on July 24, when a man pushed his burning car into a ditch in Chico and fled, authorities said. As of Sunday, the fire was 30 percent contained.
The massive fire has burned an area larger than the city of Los Angeles – about 503 square miles (1,302 square kilometers) – and is burning through steep, densely vegetated terrain that is difficult to access.
The fire has moved northward into the rugged lava fields surrounding Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is closed due to the fire threat, and the harsh terrain remains one of firefighters’ biggest challenges.
“The problem is, you can’t use heavy equipment like a bulldozer to go through there and cut the line,” Vestal said.
“On top of that, you have to bring in humans, manual laborers, to remove the fuel, and some of that terrain is not very suitable for hikers, so it takes a long time and is very hard work,” he added.
The fire has destroyed at least 572 structures and damaged 52. At least 2,700 people in Butte and Tehama counties remain under evacuation orders, Veal said.
After several days of smoky skies, the weather cleared on Sunday with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius), and firefighters sent in helicopters and other aircraft to help fight the blaze.
“The weather over the past few days has helped the fire move in a positive direction, but we still have to be concerned about the weather and conditions over the next five to six days,” Veal said.
The Northern California fire is one of 85 major fires burning across the West.
In Colorado, firefighters on Sunday Three major fires broke out The fire is near densely populated areas north and south of Denver, and many residents who were evacuated by the fire have been allowed to return home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire that is threatening hundreds of homes near the city of Littleton, Colorado. As arson.
About 50 structures were destroyed or damaged in the fire near Loveland, about half of which were homes, and one person was found dead in a burned-out home west of the town of Lyons.
Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive in the western U.S. and other parts of the world. Climate change brings warming The earth and drought will become more severe.
In Canada, a 24-year-old firefighter was killed Saturday when he was hit by a falling tree while battling a blaze in Jasper National Park, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
The firefighter from Calgary, whose name was not released, was battling the blaze north of Jasper, an Alberta town half of which was destroyed by a fast-spreading blaze last month.
