Cooler temperatures and higher humidity Saturday helped California authorities fight the fast-spreading Park Fire, which quickly became one of the state’s worst wildfires this week . The blaze was 10 percent contained late Saturday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
By Andrew Jeong
Cal Fire’s Scott Weese, who studies fire behavior, said in a briefing that Saturday was “the best day, as far as weather conditions, that we’re going to experience this week.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency Friday in Butte and Tehama counties. He said in a statement that “we are using every available tool to protect lives and property as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these challenging fires.” More than 3,700 fire officials had been deployed as of late Saturday.
Skip to end of carouselFirefighters spray water as the Park Fire tears though the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on July 25. (Noah Berger/AP)
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A man is under arrest for suspected arson in California’s largest fire of the year, which has exploded in size since it started July 24. See more photos here.
Evacuation orders and warnings were in place in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties. Roads including parts of Route 36 remained closed.
Authorities suspect that the fire began when 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout pushed a burning vehicle down a gully into a lush wildland area. Officials said he has not been charged, but they plan to book him on suspicion of intentional arson once they finish reviewing evidence, The Washington Post reported. He is in the Butte County Jail with an arraignment set for Monday, according to the Butte County district attorney’s office.
Here’s what else to know
The worst fire in California history was the August Complex Fire in August 2020, burning more than 1 million acres. The Park Fire was the seventh-worst fire in terms of acreage burned as of Saturday evening.
A fire that started in Southern California’s Sequoia National Forest has spread to more than 38,000 acres. The Borel Fire ignited on July 24 on federal lands in the forest, and the blaze has swept through the communities of Havilah and Piute Meadow Ranches, the U.S. Forest Service said Saturday.
Unusually hot weather has contributed to fire risk. Record-breaking heat was a factor in the state’s recent destructive fire seasons, especially in 2020, when over 4 million acres burned. California wildfires have ravaged at least 626,000 acres so far this year.
Brianna Sacks contributed to this report.
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