California wildfire erupts, becomes largest in US

Thousands of firefighters battled a rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California on July 27 after the blaze doubled in size in 24 hours.

“The Park Fire had burned more than 3,500,000 acres (1,41,640 hectares), approximately 144 km (90 miles) north of the state capital, Sacramento, as of the evening of July 27,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.

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Lower temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, which could help efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was 10% contained as of July 27 evening. “The fire has destroyed 134 buildings,” authorities said.

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

“President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and has directed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to combat the fire,” a White House official said. On July 25, a man was arrested on suspicion of starting the Park Fire by pushing a burning car into a ravine on the afternoon of July 24.

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“The fire was the largest of dozens of active fires across the country that have burned more than two million acres,” the National Interagency Fire Center said.

“Several fires burned in Oregon, including the Durkee Fire, which burned more than 2,880,000 acres in the eastern part of the state,” authorities said.

“A firefighter has died after a single-engine tanker crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement on July 26.