The largest wildfire to break out in the West this summer continued its explosive growth Friday morning as emergency responders in northern California struggled to gain control of the blaze, which has put thousands of residents under evacuation orders and has destroyed homes.
The so-called Park Fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near the city of Chico and quickly swelled in size as it was fueled by hot weather, low humidity and strong wind gusts. As of Friday morning, the inferno had engulfed over 164,000 acres, an area larger than the city of Chicago.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey on Thursday announced the arrest of a local man accused of pushing his mother's flaming vehicle into a gully, sparking the largest fire that California has seen this year. Ronnie Stout, 42, of Chico, faces at least one charge of arson, though more charges could follow in the days ahead, Ramsey said.
More than 130 structures have been destroyed by the fire, according to a Cal Fire update posted Friday morning. Some 4,000 residents in unincorporated Butte County were under evacuation orders, said Sheriff Kory Honea at a news conference Thursday night. Other nearby areas, including portions of the city of Chico, were also under evacuation warnings. Honea urged residents to prepare to flee their homes as more evacuation orders could be issued.
"If the order is given, get the most important things that you have and get out," he said, later adding, "If the fire blows over, I can't make any promise or guarantee that we can get up there to save your life."
In a frenzy, Anasyua Basil packed her Honda Fit with clothes, paintings, framed pictures and her cat, Half Stash – everything she wanted to be safe in case the explosive Park Fire reaches her home.
"I didn't pack as well as I would have liked to," Basil, 63, told USA TODAY. "Under an emergency it's very hard to think clearly."
By Thursday afternoon, the heavy smoke from the blaze, which had ripped across thousands of acres of brush and timber, had partially blotted out the sun, she said. Shortly before she left her home in northern Butte County, the fire had crossed the nearby highway, forcing Basil and other residents to take a narrow, winding backroad instead.
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