A raging, wind-driven Northern California
wildfire that started in Chico on Wednesday had swelled to
124,948 acres by Thursday night and forced more than 4,000 people from their homes in Butte and Tehama counties. The Park Fire is the
largest wildfire the Golden State has seen so far this year, and with dry, hot, blustery weather in the
forecast through Friday night, it’s showing little sign of slowing down.
The blaze was reported to be 6,400 acres Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning, the burn area had grown to 45,550 acres, according to
Cal Fire. The fire is only 3% contained and could grow in the coming days, with hot, dry, gusty weather in the forecast through Friday. Officials
said Thursday the fire may have been started by arson and
a suspect was arrested in the case.
Evacuation maps were posted by both
Butte County and
Tehama County and you can also find information through the
Butte County and
Tehama County sheriff’s departments. Evacuation warnings have now been extended to some parts of Paradise and Magalia. Some 4,200 structures are threatened by the blaze, Cal Fire
said.
The Park Fire started just before 3 p.m. Wednesday on the eastern edge of Bidwell Park in Chico and pushed into the Ishi Wilderness. Capt. Dan Collins, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, said the fire spread from the park “in a northerly direction because of the south wind it had on it.” An
extremely rare "pyrotornado" was spotted over the blaze on Thursday evening.
“It made a significant run last night and got well established,” Collins added. “One of the factors of that was the fire got into areas with little to no burn history, and there’s very heavy vegetation. These areas are not easily accessible to ground resources.”
Bidwell Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the country and is known as the
crown jewel of the college town 160 miles northeast of San Francisco. Located
11 miles from downtown Chico, the park comprises 3,670 acres dotted with hiking and mountain biking trails, picnic areas and swimming holes. The fire was first spotted within the park off Upper Park Road. Collins said a portion of the park’s eastern side has burned.
A
42-year-old man from Chico was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of starting the fire, according to a news release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. The man was detained after he was allegedly seen pushing a car engulfed in flames 60 feet down an embankment just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Butte County DA Mike Ramsey said. Flames from the burning car spread to vegetation, and the man left the scene discreetly by moving “calmly” and “blending in” with other people in the area, the DA said.
Afternoon highs on Wednesday soared into the 100s, and the southerly winds fanned wildfire flames. A
webcam with a clear shot of the fire showed massive amounts of smoke coming off it Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
Thursday marks the start of a cooldown in California, and temperatures are expected to be about 4 to 5 degrees cooler than they were Wednesday, with a forecast high of 100 degrees in Chico, Bill Rasch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, said.
Despite the slightly cooler temperatures, conditions on Thursday and Friday will likely still be favorable for wildfire spread, with warm, dry, blustery weather in the forecast. Sustained winds of 15 mph and isolated gusts of up to 30 mph are expected, according to the
weather service. A
red flag warning is in effect through 11 p.m. Friday.
More significant cooling is expected Saturday and Sunday, and afternoon highs are likely to drop into the high 80s to low 90s. Humidity levels are also predicted to increase.
The fire triggered a series of evacuations Wednesday night into Thursday morning in both Tehama and Butte counties. By Thursday afternoon, approximately 4,000 people were under evacuation orders in Butte County, including 1,150 people in Cohasset, a community in the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Megan McMann, a spokesperson for the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. About 370 people were also ordered to leave their homes in northeast Chico, she said. The Chico Regional Airport is under an evacuation order.
“Fire personnel are currently focusing on evacuations and structure defense while concurrently building direct containment lines utilizing bulldozers, fire crews and fire engines,” Cal Fire said. “More resources have been ordered and are inbound from various areas throughout Northern California.”
