Park Fire still growing with containment at 30% as temperatures expected to hit triple-digits
The Park Fire that has been raging north of Chico is now 30% contained as it continues to grow amid rising temperatures, Cal Fire said Sunday.
Recent favorable weather including residual rainfall moisture offered the 6,528 firefighters battling the blaze a brief respite, officials said. But forecasts of triple-digit temperatures, drier conditions and higher wind speeds are expected to increase fire activity into this week.
“Today you can expect to see some increased activity compared to the last couple of days,” said Cal Fire assistant chief Brian Newman in a Sunday operational briefing. “The good news is this clear air is going to be really good for aircraft operations.”
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the fire area are expected to hit 100 degrees and reach up to 105 degrees through Thursday across Butte and Tehama counties.
On Friday, the Park Fire became the fourth-largest wildfire in California history. Now at 401,301 acres, the blaze surpassed the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex fire that torched 397,000 acres across five counties.
Fire officials said crews are focused on the Butte Creek region as well as northeast corner of the fire veering into Lassen National Forest, where spot fires are catching despite hopes that fuels would have retained some moisture from this year’s wet winter.
Some 572 structures have been destroyed by the fire, according to Cal Fire data, including homes in the Forest Ranch community. Smoke from the fire is impacting Chico, Redding and is moving north to Canada, according to Cal Fire reports.
The Park Fire was caused when a man allegedly pushed a fblaming car into a ravine in the upper stretches of Bidwell Park outside Chico. A prescribed burn was planned for the area but never done by the city’s fire department.
