Hot weather and increased winds are fueling an already destructive fire burning in Northern California on July 28, as thousands of local residents were forced to flee the flames this weekend.
Fire officials reported Sunday that the arson-caused fire had doubled to 562 square miles by the afternoon. Flames had also destroyed at least 67 homes and buildings in a rural part of the state that is still recovering from the deadly fires of recent years.
More than 4,000 fire personnel fighting the blaze made some progress on Saturday when temperatures cooled and the wind died down, Incident Commander Billy See said in a Sunday press briefing.
“That allowed our firefighters to anchor this incident and gain that 12 percent containment,” said Mr. See, who is an assistant fire chief in Fresno County.
But Sunday’s temperatures rose to 92 degrees, according to AccuWeather, and humidity dropped, adding to the fire’s spread.
“This afternoon, the smoke has cleared and the sun’s come out,” Mr. See added. “We’re starting to get some solar heating and we’re also getting some increased winds in the upper canyon. We are experiencing some challenges along the [Highway] 32 corridor.”
Some 4,450 residents remained under evacuation orders in Butte and Tehama counties as the state’s largest wildfire, called the Park Fire, threatened several rural communities. Another nearly 19,500 were under evacuation warnings on Sunday night, Capt. Dan Collins, a fire spokesman, told The Epoch Times.
Paradise Challenged Again
The small community of Paradise has remained under an evacuation warning since Friday. The town of 6,500 was ravaged in a 2018 wildfire fire, blamed on aging electrical equipment, that tore through the community. The fire killed 85 people and destroyed more than 6,700 buildings—nearly all of them homes—in the town.Several people sent prayers to residents in comments left on the city’s Facebook page.
“Dear Lord not again,” Linda Allan said on Friday. “Keep yourselves and your loved ones safe.”
Patsy Bjork said “My heart [is] breaking for all of you. I love Paradise. Please be safe everyone.”
Fire crews were working diligently to put out spot fires and create zones for residents to return home, officials said Sunday.
“We are working hard to downgrade some of the evacuation orders to warnings,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Sunday at the press briefing.
One resident was arrested in Tehama County and charged with a felony after trying to enter an evacuation zone, Sheriff Dave Kain said.
The county, however, hasn’t had any reports of deaths or missing persons, according to the sheriff.
Highways 32 and 36 remained closed, and several small towns, including Campbellville, Paynes Creek, Dalees Station, and others were evacuated. The sheriff was allowing ranchers to get permits to feed and water livestock in the evacuation zone.
The Park Fire started July 24 in Chico, about 87 miles north of Sacramento. Fire investigators arrested a suspect July 25 on suspicion of starting the blaze by pushing his mother’s burning car into a ravine in upper Bidwell Park the day before.
State of Emergency
Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency Saturday in Butte and Tehama counties, allowing the state to get more federal assistance for the fire.The proclamation makes more resources available for response and recovery efforts, and supports residents impacted by the fire by easing access to unemployment benefits and waiving fees to replace driver’s licenses and other records.
On Saturday, Mr. Newsom visited the fire’s command post, the central operations center coordinating the fire.
The emergency proclamation also allows hospitals, adult, and senior care, and other facilities impacted by the fire to continue providing services, according to the governor’s office.
The state also secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist fire agencies with getting the resources they need to fight the fire in Butte County, the governor’s office reported.
