Flammeninferno destroys over 140,000 hectares in Northern California
"The extreme fire conditions continue to pose a challenge for firefighters," explained California Fire Department (Cal Fire) in their online service X. The Wildfire has meanwhile developed into the seventh largest fire that California has experienced since record keeping began.
Despite the firefighting efforts of over 3700 firefighting personnel, more than a dozen helicopters, and several airplanes, only ten percent of the flame front was under control according to the latest reports. "Numerous firefighting aircraft from the entire state are flying suppression missions, as conditions allow," Cal Fire stated. Lower temperatures and higher humidity would have reduced "fire activity" - but the fire was still spreading, the department added.
The "Park Fire" named wildfire broke out near Chico in the Butte County administration district on a Wednesday. Within hours, the flames destroyed a vast area there and in the adjacent Tehama County. On Thursday, the police arrested a 42-year-old suspect who had pushed a burning car into a ravine and thus ignited the fire.
Chico is only about 24 kilometers from the city of Paradise. In 2018, the inferno with 85 fatalities went down in history as the deadliest fire in California's history.
Due to the explosive spread of the current fire, an evacuation alert was again issued for Paradise. The residents of the city are haunted by painful memories. "I don't want anyone else to go through this," said Ava Elsner, who lived through the fire in 2018 with CNN. "It's the most traumatic, frightening, and sad thing when an entire community goes up in flames," Elsner continued.
California is experiencing an early start to an apparently particularly severe wildfire season. Experts see climate change as the cause of extreme weather conditions.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of Oregon, a large fire has destroyed over 117,000 hectares. According to department reports, it is currently contained to about 50 percent.
- Cal Fire reported that the current Forest fire in California has become the seventh largest since records began, covering over 140,000 hectares.
- Despite the efforts of Cal Fire and numerous firefighting aircraft, the 'Park Fire' in Butte County is still spreading, affecting both Chico and Paradise, areas that have been severely affected by wildfires in the past.
- In response to the growing 'Park Fire', Cal Fire issued an evacuation alert for Paradise, a city that has unfortunately become synonymous with destructive wildfires, such as the 2018 'inferno' that claimed 85 lives and scorched thousands of hectares.
- Despite lower temperatures and higher humidity, the Fire department is struggling to contain the 'Park Fire' due to its explosive spread, with Cal Fire personnel and aircraft working tirelessly to minimize damage and prevent further Brand spread in the North of California.
- Many Californians are concerned about the early start to this severe wildfire season, with experts attributing the conditions to climate change, which could lead to even more devastating wildfires in the future.
