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Park Fire

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Coordinates: 39°46′44″N 121°45′42″W / 39.7789°N 121.76168°W / 39.7789; -121.76168
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Park Fire
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Smoke plume of the Park Fire as seen from Chico on July 26, 2024
Date(s)
  • July 24, 2024 (2024-07-24) –
  • present
  • (3 days)
LocationButte and Tehama counties, California
Coordinates39°46′44″N 121°45′42″W / 39.7789°N 121.76168°W / 39.7789; -121.76168
Statistics
Perimeter12 percent contained
Burned area368,256 acres (149,028 ha; 575 sq mi; 1,490 km2)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries2
Evacuated>4,000
Structures destroyed>134
Ignition
CauseArson
Map
Refer to caption
Refer to caption
The general location of the Park Fire in Northern California

The Park Fire is a massive, active wildfire burning in Butte and Tehama counties in Northern California. The fire ignited on July 24, in an act of alleged arson, in Upper Bidwell Park adjacent to the city of Chico in Butte County. The fire defied initial suppression efforts and grew rapidly over the following days. The Park Fire is the largest wildfire of California's 2024 wildfire season and the sixth largest in California history. As of July 29, 2024, the fire has burned 368,256 acres (149,028 hectares) and is 12 percent contained.[1]

Background

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The burn area saw temperatures of 100–110 °F (38–43 °C) during the week prior to the fire. Much of the landscape with the highest fire activity had not burned for more than 20 years.[2]

The Park Fire began near Upper Park Road in upper Bidwell Park, east of the city of Chico in Butte County.[1] Bidwell Park is a large municipal park and recreational area, stretching from Chico itself into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.[3][4] The fire is believed to have been started as an intentional act and shortly after the start of the fire an arrest was made.[5]

The area in which the Park Fire is burning has a history of significant wildfire activity, and last burned in the 1990 Campbell Fire and 1994 Barkley Fire.[6] It is just north of the deadly and destructive Camp Fire of 2018.

Progression

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An air tanker engages the Park Fire near its origin within Upper Bidwell Park during the early hours of the fire on July 24

The Park Fire ignited at 2:52 p.m. PDT on July 24 on Bidwell Park's eastern edge.[7][8] It was first spotted near Upper Park Road.[7] From its ignition point the fire spread north, burning some of the park's eastern portion, driven by winds out of the south of up to 24 miles per hour (39 km/h).[7][9] The area burned was reported by Cal Fire to be 1,000 acres (400 ha) by 5:54 p.m.[9] Evacuations in areas northeast of Chico began by 9:00 p.m.[10] The burned area increased to 6,465 acres (2,616 ha) by 10:15 p.m.[9] The fire was initially 3% contained but containment decreased to 0% as it rapidly spiraled out of control.

As it spread north, the fire established itself in the Ishi Wilderness, an area with little history of wildfire, heavy vegetation cover, and few easy access routes for ground-based firefighting personnel.[7] The fire produced pyrocumulus clouds and burned actively into the night.[8] Despite the efforts of ground crews and three night-flying helicopters, the wind-driven fire continued to burn largely north—parallel to California State Route 99—until by morning it had burned into Tehama County and consumed more than 45,000 acres (18,000 ha).[10][11] During the fire's first 12 hours, it burned at a rate of 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) per hour.[2]

As of July 28, 2024, the fire had burned 360,141 acres (145,744 ha) and was 12% contained, making the Park Fire the largest wildfire in California in 2024 and the seventh-largest in California history.[4][12]

Thousands of firefighters battle to contain California's Park Fire, as of 28 July 2024.[13]

Effects

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The Park Fire makes a push up the cliffside north of Upper Bidwell Park an hour after ignition on July 24

There have been no reported deaths in association with the Park Fire.[14] California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for areas affected in Butte and Tehama counties.[15] As of the evening of July 27, over 134 structures have been destroyed and two people have suffered minor injuries.[16]

The fire has prompted evacuation orders for parts of Butte, Shasta and Tehama counties,[17] including residential areas near Chico and the city's airport.[8] By the morning of Thursday, July 25, more than 4,000 people were subject to evacuation orders, including the entire community of Cohasset.[2][10]

Included in the evacuation orders were specific areas to evacuate and shelter large and small animals. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office provided short escorts into specific evacuation zones for owners to evacuate or care for animals that may have been left behind.[18] The North Valley Animal Disaster Group hosted many evacuated pets and large animals for those evacuated due to the fire.[19] And on July 28, Shingletown was evacuated on the north side of the fire.

This fire also created a fire whirl.[20]

Response

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Greg Abbott, 48th governor of Texas since 2015, deployed resources to assist in California wildfire response.[21]

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The Butte County District Attorney's office announced the arrest of Ronnie Dean Stout, II, a 42-year-old resident of Chico on July 25, the second day of the fire, under suspicion of having ignited the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car off an embankment in Bidwell Park.[5] The district attorney's office alleged that the suspect blended in with other members of the public who were hastening away from the growing fire.[22]

Stout is being currently held in Butte County jail without any possibility of bail, "undoubtedly under a count of arson" according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.[23] Stout has two prior felony convictions.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Park Fire". Cal Fire. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Hutchinson, Bill (July 25, 2024). "As California wildfire explodes to more than 45,000 acres, Oregon blaze becomes largest in the nation". ABC News. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bidwell Park". Explore Butte County. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Austen, Ian; Nauman, Qasim; Holpuch, Amanda (July 25, 2024). "Park Fire Balloons in California as Smoke Spreads in Northwest and Western Canada". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Man pushing flaming car into ravine started Park Fire, burning over 120,000 acres in California". NBC News. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Echeverria, Danielle (July 25, 2024). "Park Fire map shows where blaze is burning, how close to Camp Fire perimeter". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Graff, Amy (July 25, 2024). "Northern California wildfire balloons to 45,550 acres overnight". SFGate. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Parker, Jordan; Edwards, Anthony (July 25, 2024). "Park Fire rages near Chico, evacuations ordered". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Hutchison, Jake (July 4, 2024). "Update: Park Fire reaches 6,465 acres — mandatory evacuation orders for numerous zones". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Toohey, Grace; Smith, Hayley; Serna, Joseph (July 25, 2024). "Massive Park fire sparked by man pushing burning truck into a gully, officials say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Serna, Joseph (July 24, 2024). "Fast-moving Park fire explodes in Butte County, forcing overnight evacuations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "2024 Fire Season Incident Archive". www.fire.ca.gov. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Thousands of firefighters battle to contain California's Park Fire, other western blazes - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Park Fire in Northern California explodes in its first day". CBS News. July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  15. ^ Romero, Dennis; Alsharif, Mirna (July 27, 2024). "California wildfires consume more than half a million acres". NBC News. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  16. ^ "Park Fire, Now California's Largest This Year, Spreads Rapidly". New York Times. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  17. ^ Ables, Kelsey (July 25, 2024). "Evacuations as California's growing Park Fire in Chico engulfs 6,400 acres". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Kelley, James (July 28, 2024). "Evacuation and animal shelters available to Park Fire evacuees". Jefferson Public Radio. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Gottesman, Kyra (July 25, 2024). "Temporary animal shelters open for those evacuated from Park Fire". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "'Firenado' swirls up from explosive Park fire north of Chico". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Kovar, Heather (July 28, 2024). "TX Gov. Abbott deploys resources to assist in California wildfire response". KBTX. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  22. ^ Robinson, Adam (July 25, 2024). "Suspect pushes burning car into gully, sparks massive Park Fire". KRCR-TV. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  23. ^ Sullivan, Ramon Padilla and Shawn J. "Mapping the Park Fire: California's largest wildfire has burned 307,368 acres in less than 3 days". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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