Park Fire: Worst fire of the year sweeps through California
Authorities arrested a 42-year-old man accused of starting the blaze that spread through Butte and Tehama Counties.
Firefighters looking at the Park Fire
The Park Fire continued to gain strength Saturday in California, now exceeding 124,387 hectares.
More than 2,000 firefighters, 15 helicopters, 100 bulldozers and an unspecified number of air tankers are battling what experts are calling the worst fire so far this year.
According to CNN, Park is not only the largest fire of 2024, but also the 13th-largest in California history.
The Park Fire started Wednesday and continued to gain strength throughout the week, spreading across grass, brush, timber and dead vegetation thanks to a combination of favorable winds and slopes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
"New evacuation orders and warnings were issued," Cal Fire reported this weekend and advanced that they expected cooler and wetter weather throughout Saturday.
The most affected counties are Butte (21,120 hectares burned) and Tehama (103,266). On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for both counties, in addition to Plumas County for another fire.
One arrested
The first fire ignited Wednesday afternoon near the town of Chico in Butte County. The following day, authorities captured a 42-year-old man, county District Attorney Mike Ramsey said, in remarks obtained by AFP.
The suspect, identified as Ronnie Dean Stout II, allegedly pushed a burning car down a ravine. He has a criminal record and, according to the same source, will be held without bail until he appears before a judge next week.
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