California is battling the Park Fire, which has burned an area the size of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The flames have swept into one town, destroying homes and vehicles. The fire is also causing air quality problems across a wide area.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag” warning Sunday for strong winds, low humidity, drought and the threat of lightning. The warning applied to Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and parts of California, where dry, windy “fire weather” is expected.
“Unprecedented” fire
The largest fire in California this year, the Park Fire, has burned more than 145,000 hectares—larger than all of Los Angeles. Some 4,000 firefighters battled the flames Sunday, supported by numerous helicopter and aircraft crews. By Sunday evening, the fire was 12 percent contained.
“This fire is surprising a lot of people with its explosive growth. It's pretty much unprecedented,” said Jay Tracy, a spokesman for the California Fire Department.
Residents of Paradise in Butte County were ordered to evacuate from the area Sunday. Operations Chief Jeremy Pierce said crews are focusing on extinguishing the fire and cleaning up other threats. At least 66 structures have been destroyed, and motorcycles and other vehicles have been charred.
– Unfortunately, this number is likely to increase. Our teams do not conduct damage inventories while there is still an active fire in the area, he stressed.
Deterioration of air quality
The Park Fire started Wednesday when authorities say a local resident pushed a burning car into a ravine in Chico and then fled. A man accused of starting the blaze was arrested Thursday and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
The fire also had an impact in other states. The flames were accompanied by plumes of darkening smoke, contributing to poor air quality across much of the northwestern United States and western Canada.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO