Massive fire continues to ravage California

CHICO, California — A fire that burned out of control in Northern California has quickly become one of the largest blazes ever in the western U.S. state, authorities said Saturday.

The so-called Park Fire burned more than 350,000 acres (142,000 hectares) as of Saturday evening, making it the seventh-largest fire on record in California history, according to state agency Cal Fire.

The fire, which forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate their homes, raged in a largely rural, mountainous area near the city of Chico, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of the state capital, Sacramento.

“Extreme fire conditions continue to challenge firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a post on X.

The fire was only 10 percent contained, according to an update from the agency, despite the efforts of more than 3,700 personnel including more than a dozen helicopters and several planes.

“Numerous firefighting aircraft from across the state are conducting firefighting missions as conditions permit,” the report said.

“Cooler temperatures and higher humidity led to less fire activity,” the agency said, but the fire still spread.

The Park Fire started Wednesday near Chico, in Butte County, and within hours had destroyed a large area there and in neighboring Tehama County.

According to the latest update from Cal Fire, 20 structures have been destroyed by the fire, down from an earlier estimate of 134.

The agency said numbers are expected to fluctuate as officials assess the damage on the ground.

The fire generated a huge column of dense gray smoke that has also blown over neighboring states.

On Thursday, police arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of causing the fire by pushing a burning car into a ravine.

Chico is just 15 miles from Paradise, a town that was devastated in 2018 by what is considered the deadliest fire in California history, killing 85 people.

The explosive growth of the Park Fire has put Paradise under evacuation warning once again, bringing back painful memories for residents.

Ava Elsner, who survived the 2018 fire, told CNN she worries about her neighbors now that the Park Fire is raging.

“I don’t want anyone else to go through this. It’s the most traumatizing, terrifying and sad thing to see an entire community go up in flames,” she told the announcer.

According to experts, climate change, accelerated by human actions, is leading to more extreme weather conditions.