CHICO (California, US): Thousands of firefighters were battling a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span.

The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 90 miles (144 km) north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was 10 per cent contained as of Saturday evening. The fire has destroyed 134 structures, authorities said.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state’s history.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for multiple communities in several counties

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and has directed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to fight it, a White House official said.

A man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion that he started the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was the largest of dozens of active blazes across the country that have burned more than two million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre.

In Oregon, several fires were burning, including the Durkee Fire, which had scorched more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, authorities said.

A firefighter died after a single-engine tanker crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon, the US Forest Service said in a statement on Friday.

‘Biggest ever fire’

A fire raging out of control in northern California has rapidly become among the biggest ever in the western US state, authorities said Saturday.

The fire, which prompted orders for more than 4,000 people to flee their homes, was burning through a largely rural, mountainous area near the city of Chico, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of state capital Sacramento.

“Extreme fire conditions continue to challenge firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a post on X.

“Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow,” it said. “Lower temperatures and higher humidity have reduced fire activity,” the agency said, while adding that fire was still spreading.

The Park Fire started near Chico, in Butte County, and within hours had devastated a wide area there and in neighboring Tehama County. Authorities said the numbers were expected to fluctuate as officials assess the damage on the ground.

The blaze has generated an enormous column of dense gray smoke which has also been blown over nearby states. The explosive growth of the Park Fire has again placed Paradise under evacuation warning, unleashing painful memories for its residents. Ava Elsner, who lived through the 2018 fire, told CNN she worries about her neighbours as the Park Fire blazes.

“I don’t want anyone else to experience this. It’s the most traumatising, terrifying, and saddening thing to have a whole community go up in flames,” she told the broadcaster. Experts say climate change, accelerated by human action, is leading to more extreme weather events.

In Oregon, the Durkee Fire, which started earlier this month, has consumed nearly 290,000 acres and was about 50pc contained, the state’s wildfire response and recovery agency said.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024