A park fire in Northern California quickly became one of the largest wildfires in state history. It had already burned a shocking 350,000 acres by Saturday night, an area comparable to the size of Los Angeles. This unfortunate success made it the seventh largest fine ever recorded in California, even though it only burned for less than a week!
The flames are spreading through rural and mountainous areas near Chico, which is about 90 miles north of Sacramento. This forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their homes, leaving their homes engulfed in flames with no hope of recovery.
Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a video on X that thousands of personnel are “doing what they can” to contain the fire.
All hands are on deck as we respond to the #ParkFire in Butte and Tehama counties.
The fire supposedly started on Wednesday when a 42-year-old man reportedly pushed a burning car into a dry gully. It started in Butte County but took no time in quickly spreading to neighboring Tehama County. High temperatures, dry vegetation, and strong winds, enhanced and grew the fire very rapidly, doubling in size in just 24 hours.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Northern California Park Fire was 12% contained and more than 4,000 firefighters and other personnel were working to control it. The flames have already destroyed or damaged at least 67 structures and threaten more than 4,000 more.
A temporary break in the weather with cooler temperatures and limited winds helped firefighters make some progress as the fire was initially zero percent contained. However, conditions worsened Sunday afternoon as smoke cleared, solar heating and wind increased, complicating firefighting efforts.
About 8,000 people in Butte and Tehama counties are under evacuation orders, with 4,200 of those in Butte County alone. Lassen Volcanic National Park was also closed and evacuated. Experts warn the fire could burn for weeks or even months and could become one of the five largest fires in California by area, potentially surpassing the August 2020 Comprehensive Fire that burned over one million acres.
More than 26,000 firefighters all across the country are battling wildfires as we speak, that have combinedly burned more than two million acres. Several large fires area also burning in Oregon, including the Durkee fire near the Idaho border.
Smoke from these fires significantly affected air quality from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, prompting air quality warnings as far away as Pennsylvania and Texas. Forecasters also warn that this fire season could be particularly severe after two milder seasons in California, with above-average temperatures and plenty of fuel from recent rains.