Day 4 evacuation zone covers 1,200 square miles

The Park Fire continued to burn aggressively Saturday, and the evacuation area in Butte and Tehama counties exceeded 1,200 square miles.

In the 24 hours ending at  6 p.m. Saturday, the fire grew by more than 110,000 acres, to 350,012 acres (547 square miles), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. A preliminary survey indicated 134 structures had been damaged or destroyed.

But calmer winds and higher humidity aided the firefighting, and containment was at 10% Saturday evening, CalFire said.

The map above shows the approximate fire perimeter as a black line and the evacuation area in red.

The fire crossed Highway 36 late Friday; that road and Highway 32 were closed through the fire area. Highway 44, the north boundary of the evacuation area, remained open.

The zones added to the evacuation order Saturday were at that northern edge, in Tehama County.

Lassen Volcanic National Park was closed to the public Saturday. Highway 89 through the park is open only as an evacuation route.

The fire started in a Chico park on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 24. CalFire investigators say it was arson.

For details of the evacuation zone, including warning areas, see the Butte County evacuation map or the Genasys Protect map (Tehama County only).

Originally Published: July 27, 2024 at 12:28 p.m.