California's Park Fire has become the state's sixth-largest wildfire in history in less than a week since igniting.
According to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the blaze has grown to 368,256 acres as of Monday afternoon, and is affecting parts of Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas counties. Officials say that the fire is just 12 percent contained, and Cal Fire said in its update to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that size of the blaze "underscores the urgent need for wildfire preparedness."
Spanning over 360,000 acres, or roughly 575 square miles, the Park Fire is at the moment roughly half the size of Rhode Island. Authorities say that the fire started near Chico in Northern California. No fatalities have been reported.
The Park Fire is ranked just below the Creek Fire, which burned approximately 379,895 acres near the Sierra National Forest and lasted from September 4, 2020, to December 24, 2020. The seventh largest fire in California history is the LNU Lightning Complex, which was active for 46 days from August to October 2020, impacted five counties: Napa, Solano, Lake, Sonoma and Yolo.
Jay Tracy, deputy fire marshal at the Fresno Fire Department, told Newsweek that he would describe the Park Fire as one of "the most complex" wildfires that California officials have dealt with in a long time. Fresno Fire Captain Shane Brown told reporters last week that the department sent personnel to help the crews.
"The area in kind of the middle of the fire is very, very rural, very desolate, very kind of ... wildnerness-y," Tracy continued. "And so access to those areas are very hard."
The Butte County District Attorney's Office announced last week that 42-year-old Ronnie Stout II was arrested, accused of arson in connection to the Park Fire, which exploded overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Authorities say Stout pushed a car that was set on fire into a gully, igniting the fire.
The blaze has grown rapidly, including more than doubling in size from Friday to Sunday. Cal Fire said in its update on Monday that residences near the blaze can sign up for emergency alerts at readyforwildfire.org and to stay prepared in case an evacuation notice is issued.
"Efforts by CAL FIRE and our partners, in addition to favorable weather conditions, have allowed progress in containment, however hotter weather is on the horizon," read the post to X. "The summer is far from over, so staying prepared is crucial."
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures around Chico Municipal Airport are expected to exceed 100 degrees on Thursday, and the heat will extend into the weekend. Wind speed is also expected to pick up throughout the week.
Tracy told Newsweek that in periods of high heat, the fire department's "first and foremost" concern is keeping firefighters safe on the field. He also explained that weather changes "play a substantial role in the growth and kind of the ferocity of the fire."
"It's a little higher wind and a little hotter temperatures," Tracy said. "The wind, obviously, is what predominately drives fire a lot, and then also the temperatures kind of preheat and prepare those receptive fuel beds for any sort of a spark or an amber that should get cast with the wind."
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a video update posted Sunday that over 2,500 fire personnel had been deployed. Part of the challenge in containing the fire is handling the terrain and fuel conditions in Northern California, nothing there is "large timber" and "lots available fuel to burn" in the Park Fire's path, Fire Captain Robert Foxworthy said on Saturday.
Update 07/29/24, 7:01 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Jay Tracy, deputy fire marshal at the Fresno Fire Department.
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