Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 05:15 am
Northern California – Thousands of firefighters fought a vast Park Fire, which has destroyed more than 100 structures since it started five days ago. The fire, which officials said was caused by a man pushing a flaming car into a gully, continued to grow Monday despite milder temperatures and higher humidity.
Fire Size and Conditions
The Park Fire is now the sixth largest wildfire in California’s history after growing slightly overnight to 368,000 acres, an area of 148,924 hectares. The fire is burning through a remote area about 180 miles northeast of San Francisco according to Cal Fire.
Dan Collins, a Cal Fire captain, said the conditions that crews will be working under are difficult. Daytime temperatures were expected to reach the high 80s with 25% humidity.
Firefighting Efforts
This building and strengthening of control lines are being done by about 4,800 firefighters in hopes to increase the current 12% containment. According to Collins, the favorable weather conditions were better than in previous days and are what’s aiding their work.
Arson Suspect and Legal Action
District Attorney Mike Ramsey for Butte County said in the statement that Ronnie Dean Stout II, who authorities identified as the man seen pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday, is in custody without bond. The fire more than doubled in size from Friday to Sunday, destroying at least 114 structures across four counties.
Evacuations and Warnings
Several communities, including Paradise, which was razed by the 2018 Camp Fire-the deadliest wildfire in California history-have been issued evacuation warnings and orders.
Other Active Fires
Firefighters are battling the Park Fire, fueled by dry timber and driven by gusty winds in steep terrain. Part of this complex, the Borel Fire, swept through Havilah, destroying much of the historic gold mining town on Friday.
Nationwide, there are 102 large active fires burning, with 25 prompting evacuations as of Monday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Weather Forecast
A cold front in the Pacific Northwest-where most of the large fires are burning-is expected to bring rain and thunderstorms to the region on Monday. Yet gusty winds up to 50 miles per hour could interfere with firefighting, the center said in a statement.
