Winds, temperatures increase as fire rages through Northern California

SACRAMENTO – Crews are still battling a massive fire in Northern California, as authorities in the western U.S. state warned of increasing winds and soaring daytime temperatures.

The so-called Park Fire outside Chico had burned more than 350,000 acres as of Sunday afternoon, Cal Fire Chief Billy See said, making it the seventh-largest fire on record in state history.

Progress was made on Saturday amid light winds and cool weather, allowing firefighters to declare 12 percent of the fire under control, See told a news conference.

But he warned that starting Sunday, “we’re starting to get some solar heat and there’s also more wind in the upper canyons.” At the same time, another official noted “increased fire activity.”

The fire, which has forced about 4,200 people from their homes in Butte County, is burning in a mostly rural, mountainous area about 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of the state capital, Sacramento.

Firefighters face multiple challenges, including rugged terrain, said Operations Department Chief Mark Brunton.

“We are seeing more and more fire activity,” he said.

About 4,000 people are fighting the fire. Airplanes and bulldozers are also being used to help fight the fire.

No deaths have been reported, but 67 structures were damaged or destroyed, See said.

The fire is raging in Butte County, where 130,000 acres have burned, and in neighboring Tehema County, where 750,000 acres have burned.

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.