Park Fire is now one of the largest wildfires in California history

Cooler temperatures, with highs in the upper 80s, and more humidity are expected Saturday, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. Officials were hoping by Friday afternoon that those conditions would give the 2,500 or so firefighters the respite they need to limit the spread of the fire from Butte County into Tehama County, where the bulk of the blaze is now contained as it burns grass, brush, wood and dead vegetation.

Evacuation orders and warnings remained in place through Friday evening, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said. That included warnings for Magalia, in the hills east of Chico, just next to Paradise, the California town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed 14,000 homes and killed 85 people. The Camp Fire, caused by failed Pacific Gas & Electric power lines, reached up to 153,336 acres, half the size of the current Park Fire.

There are nearly 100 major wildfires burning more than a million acres across 10 western states and Alaska and they are still growing. Climate change is causing fires to grow larger and more intense as higher temperatures, high winds and dry conditions fuel the fires.