Over 130 homes destroyed as Park Fire reaches over 165,000 acres in California

CHICO, Calif. – A massive wildfire that is burning homes and neighborhoods just outside Chico, California, continues to explode in size Friday as firefighters work to tame the flames and police investigate a suspected arsonist accused of starting the blaze in a bizarre event.

The Park Fire began in Bidwell Park just before 3 p.m. local time on Wednesday. It quickly reached nearly 6,500 acres by Wednesday night, as local officials scrambled to get threatened residents to safety, according to CAL Fire in Butte County. The fire has since grown to nearly 165,000 acres and has destroyed 134 homes, fire officials said.

“The fire quickly began to outpace our resources because of the dry fuels, the hot weather, the low humidities and the wind,” said CAL FIRE Butte County Fire Chief Garret Sjolund.

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Fire officials said “numerous” homes have been destroyed, but it’s too early to get an accurate count. They have treated two firefighters for minor injuries so far.

One burning home went up in an explosive ball of flames as firefighters and media covered the blaze Wednesday night. 

Another eerie sight came Thursday when a swirling fire tornado was picked up on tower cameras monitoring the fire’s growth.

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Over 4,000 residents have been evacuated, including several hundred within the city of Chico, according to Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

And now firefighters will face even more challenging weather conditions as Fire Weather Warnings are now in effect for the region, adding gusty winds to the hot and dry conditions that have been in place for weeks.

Suspected arsonist arrested 

Meanwhile, a 42-year-old man is now in the Butte County Jail, suspected of starting the fire. Witnesses spotted a man next to a car where a fire had started under the left wheel of what turned out to be the suspect’s mother’s vehicle, and watched it burn, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. 

Satellite image of Park Fire

“(The witness) felt that his activity was somewhat strange and that he was doing nothing other than watching the fire,” Ramsey said during a Thursday evening news conference.

Ramsey said the man climbed into the vehicle for a few moments, then got out and pushed the flaming car down a 60-foot embankment into a gully, where it eventually burned up, spreading flames into the nearby brush.

From there, the wildfire took off, setting off urgent evacuations. Ramsey says the arsonist tried to blend in with the others who were scrambling to evacuate.

Time lapse video of the Park Fire near Chico, California. 

(ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego via Storyful)

However, investigators were later able to identify their suspect, who was arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail on Thursday morning. Ramsey said he’s currently being held without bail until a Monday court appearance.

Meanwhile, evacuated residents have been offered shelter at a church in Chico.

Triple-digit heat making it tough on firefighters

More than 1,600 firefighters are on the scene and more are on the way from throughout Northern California, according to CAL Fire.

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Those firefighters are battling wilting triple-digit summer heat and dry, breezy conditions. The high temperature in Chico reached 106 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 100 again on Thursday.

Fire Weather Warnings remain in effect until Friday night for gusty winds up to 30 mph with humidity levels in the teens to 20% range. 

 However, cooler weather is on the way by the weekend, with highs dropping to around 90.