- Huge California wildfire tears through 5,000 acres every hour
- The fire is suspected to be arson-related and has scored over 350,000 acres northeast of Chico and was only 10% contained by Sunday
- Around 3,700 firefighters are combating the fire, made worse by steep terrain and strong winds
- A 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday, suspected of starting the fire by rolling a burning car into a gully
Huge California wildfire tears through 5,000 acres every hour
A massive wildfire, known as the Park fire, has been expanding by 8 square miles (20 sq km) per hour in northern California. Since its suspected arson-related start on Wednesday, it has scorched over 350,000 acres northeast of Chico and was only 10% contained by Sunday, according to Cal Fire.
Around 3,700 firefighters are combating the fire, which has been exacerbated by steep terrain and strong winds. A 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday, suspected of starting the fire by rolling a burning car into a gully in Butte County.
This fire is the largest in California this year and the seventh largest ever recorded in the state, covering an area more than 1.5 times the size of New York City’s five boroughs.
Cal Fire incident commander Billy See reported that the fire was spreading at a rate of 5,000 acres per hour. Despite a significant increase in firefighting personnel, resources remain insufficient.
Scott Weese, a fire behaviour specialist with Cal Fire, noted the high fuel load due to an abundance of grass. However, there was hope for containment as conditions improved on Saturday, with decreased wind speeds and temperatures dropping by 3-4°C, though temperatures still remained in the low 30s (90°F).
Cal Fire reported that the lower temperatures and higher humidity had slowed the fire’s spread, but it continues to grow in some areas.
Huge California wildfire tears through 5,000 acres every hour
— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) July 28, 2024
The Park fire, has burned more than 350,000 acres of land
This is climate change
Even if started by Arson tinder dry conditions in a warming world turns these fires into monster fires much worse than in the past pic.twitter.com/WZWj9xjTZK