California Wildfire: 3,500 Evacuated as Park Fire Burns 50,565 Hectares
Firefighters are battling a vegetation fire in California, where more than 3,500 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.
The Park Fire ignited on Wednesday evening, the final day of an intense heat wave affecting the region. Over 1,150 personnel are engaged in combating the blaze, which is only 3% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as reported by Barron’s.
By 6:00 PM local time on Thursday, the fire had burned through 50,565 hectares. Governor Gavin Newsom reported that more than 3,500 residents had evacuated the affected area.
The city of Chico, now under threat from the fire, is situated just 20 kilometres west of Paradise, a community devastated by a massive wildfire in 2018, which resulted in 85 fatalities.
The cause of the Park Fire remains under investigation, according to CalFire.
A 42-year-old man, suspected of starting the fire, was arrested after an unidentified individual was seen pushing a car into flames and into a ravine near the fire’s origin, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
The car was entirely consumed by flames, which then spread and caused the park fire.
On Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a "red flag warning" for critical fire conditions in the area, including strong wind gusts and low humidity.
The western United States has endured several heat waves since early June, with dozens of fires currently active in the region.
Oregon, California’s northern neighbour, is grappling with a mega fire, the largest in the country, which is destroying forests and prompting evacuations in a rural area.
The intense flames have produced enormous columns of smoke, affecting air quality as far away as Idaho, a neighbouring state.
Wildfires are also ravaging western Canada, where part of the tourist city of Jasper has been destroyed.
Western North America is increasingly experiencing extreme weather events, worsened by climate change.
In mid-July, Newsom warned that the fire season "is shaping up to be very active."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
