Thousands of people battle wildfires across the West as smoke places millions under air quality warnings

Updated July 28, 2024 at 5:43 PM ET

FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Wildfires across the western United States and Canada prompted air quality warnings for millions of people Sunday as thousands of firefighters battled the blazes, including California’s largest wildfire this year.

The so-called Park Fire had burned more than 570 square miles of inland Northern California by Sunday morning. The sky was dark and there was smoke and haze. Air quality was also poor across much of the northwestern U.S. and western Canada.

Although the sprawling blaze was only 12% contained, cooler temperatures and higher humidity could help firefighters battle the blaze. The blaze has been compared to the 2018 Camp Fire, which tore through the nearby community of Paradise, killing 85 people and destroying 11,000 homes.

Paradise and several other communities in Butte County were under evacuation warnings Sunday. However, Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Jeremy Pierce had some good news for the area. He said around noon that the southernmost front of the Park Fire, closest to Paradise, was “looking really good,” and that crews would focus on clearing the area over the next three days. He also said they don’t expect the fire to move any further into Chico, a city of about 100,000 just west of Paradise.

Emergency responders initially focused on saving lives and property endangered by the Park Fire, but that has shifted to confronting the blaze directly, Jay Tracy, a spokesman for Park Fire headquarters, told The Associated Press by telephone Sunday. About 3,400 firefighters are battling the blaze, aided by numerous helicopters and water-jets, and Tracy said the reinforcements would provide much-needed respite for local firefighters, some of whom have been working nonstop since the fire began Wednesday.

“This fire is surprising a lot of people with its explosive growth,” he said. “It’s kind of unprecedented.”

While below-average temperatures are expected in the area through the middle of this week, that doesn’t mean “existing fires are going to go away,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

The fire destroyed at least 66 buildings and damaged five others, Tracy said. Authorities initially thought 134 buildings were lost, based on drone footage, but lowered that number after crews personally assessed the damage.

“Unfortunately, that number is likely to increase,” Tracy said. “Every day, that number could increase — our crews obviously don’t do damage inspections when there’s active fire in an area.”

The Park Fire began Wednesday when authorities say a man pushed a burning car into a ravine in Chico and then fled. A Chico man accused of setting the fire was arrested Thursday and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

The northern half of the fire remained a challenge Sunday, Pierce said, as firefighters used bulldozers and other equipment to build fire lines over rocky, difficult terrain and try to keep the flames from spreading.

The Park Fire was one of more than 100 blazes burning across the U.S. on Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some were caused by weather, as climate change increases the frequency of lightning strikes while the Western U.S. struggles with scorching heat and bone-dry conditions.

Despite improved fire weather in Northern California, conditions remained favorable for more fires. The National Weather Service warned of “red flag” conditions Sunday across much of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, along with parts of California.

In Southern California, a fire in the Sequoia National Forest tore through the community of Havilah after burning more than 48 square miles (124 square kilometers) in less than three days. The town of about 250 residents was under evacuation orders.

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