The Park Fire has surpassed 386,000 acres of burned land and It became the fifth largest wildfire in California.
Cal Fire, in its most recent update, Published at 6:03 pm on Tuesday, July 30, reported that the conflagration grew to 386,764 acres, with 18% containmentwith evacuation orders in effect in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties.
The #ParkFire has now escalated to become the fifth-largest wildfire in California’s history, severely impacting Butte, Tehama, Shasta, and Plumas counties. This development underscores the critical importance of being #ReadyforWildfire. One of the most effective ways to ensure… pic.twitter.com/Esh3drISfg
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) July 30, 2024
The flames have charred an area five times larger than the city of Sacramentoand a Cal Fire firefighter said the blaze was spreading at a rate of 4,000 to 5,000 acres per hour Monday.
Most of the burned land is in Tehama County and the flames were spreading north toward Shasta County.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Friday afternoon that Some 4,200 residents had been evacuatedwhile in the other three counties there was no estimated number of people affected. Cal Fire estimated that about 4,200 structures were threatened.
Cal Fire said the Park Fire was the result of suspected arson. and erupted at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24 in the Upper Bidwell Park area, about four miles northeast of downtown Chico, Butte County.
The fire agency initially reported that 134 structures had been destroyed, but clarified that the estimate was made through aerial surveys. As of Monday morning, 105 structures were destroyed by the fire. and five others suffered some damage.
No details were provided on the type of structures that were damaged by the fire, but it was clear that Among them were several residences that were burned.
The Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced on July 25 the arrest of a man on suspicion of setting the fire.The suspect was seen pushing a burning car into a ravine near Alligator Hole, at the top of Bidwell Park.
The suspect He was identified by the district attorney’s office as Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico.The subject was reportedly seen calmly leaving the area, attempting to blend in with other people.
Alligator Hole is a popular area to cool off during the summer and It is located about six miles east of the town square of Chico..
Upper Bidwell Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. and is home to numerous hiking and biking trails, as well as swimming and picnic areas.
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Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton reported increased fire activity in a northeasterly direction and that is moving into areas with heavier fuels and difficult terrain. Bulldozers, hand-held equipment and aircraft were attacking this area, which Brunton said is northeast of Butte Meadows.
Cal Fire also reported that The fire spread rapidly across the Ishi Desertin Tehama County, over the weekend.
Lassen Volcanic National Park closed its doorsOfficials said the fire could reach Manzanita Lake and the Mineral headquarters.
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Park Fire is close to overflowing to the SCU Lightning Complex fire, which occurred in August 2020 and spanned 396,625 acresas the fourth largest fire in California.
The list is topped by the August Complex, from August 2020, which burned 1,032,648 acresSecond is the Dixie Fire, which occurred in July 2021, at 963,309 acres, and third is the Mendocino Complex, from July 2018, at 459,123 acres.
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