Authorities reported on Saturday that a wildfire in northern California, known as the Park Fire, has escalated rapidly to become one of the largest in the state's history. Cal Fire stated that as of Saturday evening, the fire had consumed over 350,000 acres (142,000 hectares), ranking it the seventh-largest ever recorded in California. The fire, which has forced more than 4,000 residents to evacuate their homes, is currently burning through a predominantly rural, mountainous region near Chico, approximately 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Sacramento.
Cal Fire noted in a recent update on X that despite the efforts of over 3,700 personnel, including more than a dozen helicopters and several planes, the fire's containment was only at 10 percent. The agency also mentioned that numerous firefighting air tankers from across the state are engaged in suppression missions as conditions permit. Although lower temperatures and higher humidity have somewhat diminished fire activity, the blaze continues to spread.
The Park Fire ignited on Wednesday near Chico in Butte County, rapidly engulfing a vast area in both Butte and neighboring Tehama County. Cal Fire's latest assessment reduced the number of confirmed destroyed structures from an earlier estimate of 134 to 20, with the figures expected to vary as on-the-ground assessments continue. The fire has produced a massive column of dense gray smoke that has extended into neighboring states.
On Thursday, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire by pushing a burning car into a ravine. Chico is located about 15 miles from Paradise, a city ravaged by a 2018 fire that was California's deadliest, claiming 85 lives. The rapid expansion of the Park Fire has prompted an evacuation warning for Paradise, stirring painful memories among its residents.
Ava Elsner, a survivor of the 2018 fire, expressed her concerns to CNN about the impact on her neighbors. "I don't want anyone else to experience this. It's the most traumatizing, terrifying, and saddening thing to have a whole community go up in flames," she said. Experts attribute the increase in extreme weather events to climate change, which is being exacerbated by human activities. Meanwhile, in Oregon, the Durkee Fire, which began earlier this month, has burned nearly 290,000 acres and is about 50 percent contained, according to the state's wildfire response and recovery agency.
