California wildfires burn 5,000 acres per hour

A massive wildfire has grown at 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) an hour and is spreading across parts of northern California.

The Park Fire, which broke out Wednesday due to suspected arson, has burned more than 348,000 acres northeast of Chico and was 0% contained as of Saturday, the state’s Cal Fire agency said.

About 2,500 firefighters are working to extinguish the fire due to steep terrain and strong winds.

A 42-year-old man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of starting a fire by driving a burning car down a ravine near Alligator Hole in Butte County.

It is the largest fire this year in the state and has burned an area 1.5 times larger than the five boroughs of New York City.

Cal Fire Chief Billy See said the fire was growing at a rate of 5,000 acres an hour.

Speaking at a briefing, Mr See said the number of firefighters on Saturday was nearly three times that of Friday and “we still don’t have enough”.

The area has a large fuel load and a lot of grass, said Scott Weese, a fire behavior specialist with Cal Fire.

“The heat is intense,” he said at a news conference, adding that the fire had burned 150,000 acres as of yesterday.

Authorities hope to use the easing of conditions on Saturday to contain some of the fires. Wind speeds have dropped and temperatures have dropped about 15F, but are still hovering in the low 90s (32C) in some areas.

Officials said a fire tornado was less likely today, after a rare “firenado” phenomenon – a whirlwind of fire and ash formed in high temperatures and strong winds – was seen again and swirled through the bush on Friday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Friday in Butte and Tehama counties due to the Park Fire.

“We are using every tool available to protect life and property while our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these difficult fires,” he said in a statement.

At least 16 helicopters are battling the fires, with more water tankers dropping from the sky as conditions allow.

The wildfire has forced mandatory evacuations in Butte, the site of California’s deadliest blaze, the Camp Fire, which killed more than 80 people in 2018.

400 residents of Cohasset were displaced as the fire grew out of control.

Cal Fire said 134 structures have been destroyed, while 4,200 others are threatened.

Officers arrested Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, and accused him of “calmly leaving the area by blending in with other residents who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly spreading fire” he had started.

He is being held without bail while authorities determine what charges he will face.

A woman who opened the mobile home listed as his home address in Chico told San Francisco Chronicle that prosecutors “are trying to make him a scapegoat.”

“They said he did it on purpose, but he didn’t. The car caught fire,” the unnamed woman said, before declining to answer further questions.

The Park Fire is one of many fires burning across the United States and Canada.

The National Interagency Fire Center is currently monitoring 102 major fires in the United States, mostly in states on the West Coast.

In Oregon, a firefighting pilot was killed in a tanker crash after the plane went missing Thursday night.

In Canada, a massive wildfire in Jasper National Park destroyed hundreds of buildings in Jasper town.

Conditions improved over the weekend in Jasper, with rain and cooler temperatures helping to protect other areas of the historic tourist town.