Park Fire is now the 4th largest in California history as statewide wildfire activity surges 2,816%
The Park Fire is now the fourth largest wildfire to ever tear across California. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Friday morning that the fire has grown to 399,437 acres and is only about a quarter contained as it destroys hundreds of structures.
As of Friday morning, the state is battling 15 active wildfires, with the Park Fire the largest by far as it spreads across four counties and Lassen National Forest. Cal Fire said more than 92,000 acres of the fire involves Forest Service land and that it is impacting "a variety of vegetation and ecosystems."
It was started over a week ago after a man was seen pushing a burning car into a ravine. Ronnie Stout, who is charged with reckless arson, appeared in court for the first time Monday.
The Park Fire is only part of a far larger problem this year. Cal Fire said this week that as of Tuesday, wildfire activity is 2,816% higher than last year for the same time period.
"As of July 30, 2024, wildfires have scorched a staggering 751,327 acres across our state," Cal Fire wrote on social media on Wednesday. "This year's wildfire activity is 2,816% higher than last year, 29 times the amount of acreage burned."
This year's fires are far above both last year's numbers and the five-year average, the department found. In 2023, there were 3,746 fires burning 25,763 acres through July 30, while the five-year average for the period is 4,416 fires and 140,996 acres.
The fire is at 24% containment and has grown so much that it is now the fourth-largest wildfire recorded in state history, trailing behind the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018 that burned 459,123 acres.
Thursday marked "the first of several days where fire weather will become increasingly critical."
"Temperatures will rise from the upper 90s to the lower 100s. Daytime humidity will fall to upper teens today," Cal Fire said Thursday afternoon. "Winds will be drier out of the south, but speeds will be close to previous days. There is increased instability in the north where we will see columns and plumes of smoke."
Cal Fire said that "record-level low moistures" are helping fuel the flames. The fire is also finding its way into deep drainages and lava rock while thick smoke has limited visibility for responders, making fire suppression challenging, the department said, warning Friday morning that incoming weather "could cause fire behavior to become erratic."
"Critical weather is expected in the region through the weekend," Cal Fire said Friday. "Temperatures are expected to range from 98 to 103 degrees today. Expected higher temperatures, lower humidity, and strong winds could lead to extreme fire behavior and cause the fire to grow in multiple directions."
Crews are working on more than 200 miles of active fire front, the department added, with the terrain complicating efforts to communicate via radio and tackle the blaze as a whole.
At least 540 structures, including homes, have been destroyed – including Mike Wittenberg's. While kneeling in the ashes of what used to be his 4-year-old daughter's room, he cried as he told CBS News Bay Area while seeing the debris for the first time, "It's all gone."
"I'm pretty destroyed right now," he said of his family of five's home in Forest Ranch. "I held out hope, hoping that something would still be here. ... I didn't think it was actually going to take our house."
Of the active fires across the state, the causes of 14 remain under investigation. One – the Gold Complex Fire in Plumas County – was started by lightning, while another, the Park Fire, was started by arson.
