A rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California forced evacuations after spreading overnight at an alarming rate in what authorities said is a case of arson.
Evacuations were ordered in California’s Butte and Tehama counties as crews battled a fire reported near Chico just before 3 p.m. Wednesday. The Park Fire quickly spread to more than 45,000 acres is just hours and was only 3% contained early Thursday, according to CAL FIRE.
In a news release Thursday, authorities said a 42-year-old Chico man was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire. The man was arrested after witnesses on Wednesday reported someone pushing a car that was on fire into a gully at about the time the fire started, according to authorities.
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"The car went down an embankment approximately 60 feet and burned completely, spreading flames that caused the Park Fire," the Butte County District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "The male was then seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire. Cal Fire arson investigators responded immediately, secured the scene, and began to search for clues to the identity of the unknown man."
The fire east of Chico started just before 3 p.m. Wednesday. The location is about 15 miles west of the town of Paradise, which was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire. More than 80 people died and more than 18,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.
The Park Fire is one of more than two dozen wildfires burning in California.
Take a look at our fire activity update for July 25, 2024! For more information on active statewide incidents, visit https://t.co/CfcEwIPpfd pic.twitter.com/2oy94xUju4
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) July 25, 2024
Fire personnel were focusing on evacuations and defending structures while using bulldozers to build containment lines ahead of the Park Fire. No deaths or damage to structures had been reported, CAL FIRE/ Butte County Fire Department said in a late Wednesday update.
The fire adds to the staggering number of acres that have burned so far this year in California. Since the start of the year, Cal Fire has reported 4,367 fires that burned 343,253 acres. At the same time last year, the agency reported 3,574 fires that burned 22,439. The five-year average is 4,223 fires and 120,298 acres.
A fire in Southern California was much smaller, but moving fast and threatening homes.
Evacuation orders were in effect Wednesday night in San Diego County after a wildfire began to spread fast near the San Diego and Riverside county line. Fire officials say the Grove Fire was spreading southeast through steep and challenging terrain.
Climate change is increasing the frequency of wildfires sparked by lightning across the Pacific Northwest and western Canada as the region endures recording-breaking heat, with many triple-digit days and bone-dry conditions.
