California wildfire doubles in size, becomes largest in US

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

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

Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, which could help slow the spread of the fire, which was 10% contained by Saturday 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.

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

A man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of causing the Park Fire by pushing a burning car into a ditch on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was the largest of dozens of active fires across the country that have burned more than 2 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Multiple fires raged in Oregon, including the Durkee Fire, which burned more than 700,000 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 Friday.