The Park Fire raged on as Monday turned into Tuesday, growing to 414,042 acres as the area affected by flames failed to regain much-needed nighttime humidity, officials said.
As of Tuesday morning, containment remained at Monday’s level of 34% amid challenging firefighting conditions.
Overnight, new evacuations were ordered in Tehama County, where the majority of the fire is burning. Officials did not add to already-established damage figures — some 640 structures destroyed, with another 50 damaged — on Tuesday.
The Park Fire, which began almost two weeks ago, is the fourth largest fire recorded in state history; it has well surpassed the 396,625 acres burned by the 2020 SCU Lightning Complex Fire, and is approaching the 459,123 acres burned in the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire.
A Chico man has been accused of starting the Park Fire by gunning his vehicle’s engine, sparking dry grass.
The fire has burned its way across Butte and Tehama counties, fueled by hot, dry weather. Some areas of Plumas and Shasta County are also under evacuation warnings.
As Tuesday wears on into afternoon and evening, the fire could continue to grow, said Jim Evans, a Cal Fire representative for the Park Fire. Temperatures were expected to soar to triple digits, and humidity may drop below 10%, a worrying combination for spread.
Overnight, the northeastern region of the fire, including the Mill Creek area, was “hit hard,” Evans said. The northeast edge of the fire will also be the site of potential growth Tuesday.
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The blaze has already destroyed some 640 structures and damaged about another 50 in the sparsely-populated area north of Chico. Cal Fire’s structure status map shows that some of the small neighborhoods inside fire lines, such as the few dozen homes in Campbellville, may have suffered heavy losses.
Officials have not reported any injuries or deaths as a result of the blaze.
Firefighters are up against other challenging conditions as they fight to contain the blaze, according to Cal Fire’s website. The critically dry vegetation fueling the fire, combined with rugged terrain and long drives to the fire, make it difficult to stop the fire from spreading. But firefighters are doing their best to keep the massive fire in check, Evans said.
“We basically put the fire in a big box,” Evans said. “There could still be some growth, but with that growth, there could be more containment as well.”
According to Cal Fire’s website, the fire will be easier to contain when cooler temperatures are scheduled to arrive later this week.
