Park Fire swells to over 164,000 acres; thousands of residents under evacuation orders

The largest wildfire to break out in the West this summer continued its explosive growth Friday morning as emergency responders in northern California struggled to gain control of the blaze, which has put thousands of residents under evacuation orders and has destroyed homes.

The so-called Park Fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near the city of Chico and quickly swelled in size as it was fueled by hot weather, low humidity and strong wind gusts. As of Friday morning, the inferno had engulfed over 164,000 acres, an area larger than the city of Chicago.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey on Thursday announced the arrest of a local man accused of pushing his mother's flaming vehicle into a gully, sparking the largest fire that California has seen this year. Ronnie Stout, 42, of Chico, faces at least one charge of arson, though more charges could follow in the days ahead, Ramsey said.

More than 130 structures have been destroyed by the fire, according to a Cal Fire update posted Friday morning. Some 4,000 residents in unincorporated Butte County were under evacuation orders, said Sheriff Kory Honea at a news conference Thursday night. Other nearby areas, including portions of the city of Chico, were also under evacuation warnings. Honea urged residents to prepare to flee their homes as more evacuation orders could be issued.

"If the order is given, get the most important things that you have and get out," he said, later adding, "If the fire blows over, I can't make any promise or guarantee that we can get up there to save your life."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom secured a fire management assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to "ensure the necessary resources are available to suppress the fire," according to Cal Fire.

More than 1,600 personnel were assisting in the effort to quell the flames. Authorities have secured 140 fire engines, dozens of bull dozers and at least six helicopters, Cal Fire said. Zero percent of the blaze has been contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.

Longtime resident evacuates home after authorities issue order

In a frenzy, Anasyua Basil packed her Honda Fit with clothes, paintings, framed pictures and her cat, Half Stash – everything she wanted to be safe in case the explosive Park Fire reaches her home.

"I didn't pack as well as I would have liked to," Basil, 63, told USA TODAY. "Under an emergency it's very hard to think clearly."

By Thursday afternoon, the heavy smoke from the blaze, which had ripped across thousands of acres of brush and timber, had partially blotted out the sun, she said. Shortly before she left her home in northern Butte County, the fire had crossed the nearby highway, forcing Basil and other residents to take a narrow, winding backroad instead.

Basil slept at her friend's home in Chico, where she plans on staying until the evacuation order is lifted.

"Fire season is the hardest time of the year," she said.

Butte County has a history of historic wildfires

The residents in Butte County and surrounding areas are all too familiar with rapidly spreading wildfires.

In 2018, the Camp Fire devastated the area, particularly the town of Paradise, killing 85 people and destroying 14,000 homes. It remains the deadliest wildfire in California history, the deadliest wildfire in 100 years in the U.S. and it was the costliest natural disaster in the world in 2018.

The fire was eventually tied to power lines maintained by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which pleaded guilty to one count of gross negligence and 84 individual counts of involuntary manslaughter – one for each person who was killed in the wildfire.

In 2021, the Dixie Fire stretched across Butte and several other counties, burning nearly 1 million acres and more than 700 homes, the largest single wildfire in state history. The historic wildfire was eventually tied to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power lines.

Prosecutor: Man pushed flaming vehicle off embankment

Stout was arrested around 2 a.m. Thursday after police had surrounded his trailer in Chico, Ramsey, the Butte County district attorney, said at a news conference.

Ramsey said Butte was being held in Butte County jail with no possibility of bail until he's arraigned on Monday afternoon, "undoubtedly under a count of arson."

Ramsey said it was a witness account that had tied Stout to the fire. The witness saw Stout standing by his mother's vehicle, watching it as a fire appeared under the car's front-left side, Ramsey said. Stout then, according to the witness, got in the vehicle for a short period of time before he got out and pushed it off the embankment.

"We are here today because of that," said Ramsey, whose family has been evacuated because of the blaze.

Over a million acres burning in active wildfire

Firefighters are monitoring 89 large active wildfires across 10 western states and Alaska, encompassing 1.2 million acres. The size and severity of the fires are driven largely in part by climate change as warmer temperatures, high winds and dry conditions help fuel fires.

"Climate change is leading to larger and more severe wildfires in the western United States," the National Climate Assessment reported.

At least 26,825 wildfires have been reported in the U.S. this year, 6,000 fewer fires than the 10-year average year to date, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. However, the total acreage burned as of Thursday morning – 3,633,567 – is almost 300,000 acres more than the 3,350,598 year-to-date average.

In California, wildfires have scorched more than 350,000 acres this year, twice the five-year average, according to Cal Fire.

Contributing: Krystal Nurse and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Reuters