Wildfires prompt California evacuations as crews battle Oregon and Idaho fires stoked by lightning

BOISE, Idaho — Wildfires prompted evacuations in Northern California on Thursday amid a rapidly growing wildfire, a day after high winds and lightning from thunderstorms battered eastern Oregon and Idaho, knocking out power and sparking fires, including one in Oregon that the largest active fire in the United States. Another fast moving Wildfire forces thousands to leave Canadian town.

Evacuations were ordered in California’s Butte and Tehama counties as crews battled a blaze reported just before 3 p.m. Wednesday near Chico. The blaze, dubbed the Park Fire, quickly spread from about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) to more than 70 square miles (180 square kilometers) and was only 3% contained as of Thursday morning, CAL FIRE said. The cause is under investigation.

Firefighters focused on evacuations and defending structures while using bulldozers to build containment lines. There were no reported deaths or damage to structures, CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department said in an update Wednesday night.

Fires in several western states and Canada have forced some areas to air quality warnings or warnings as smoke and haze filled the air. In the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, a fast-moving wildfire swept through the town of Jasper this week, displacing thousands of people and causing significant damage.

The Durkee Fire, burning near the Oregon-Idaho border about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of Boise, Idaho, again closed a portion of Interstate 84 on Wednesday. Amid rapidly forming storms in the afternoon, the fire crossed the highway near the town of Huntington, which has about 500 residents. The fire also merged with the Cow Valley Fire, another large blaze burning nearby, Gov. Tina Kotek said.

“The wildfires in eastern Oregon have been growing rapidly,” Kotek said in a news release Wednesday night, calling it a dynamic situation. “We have strong, erratic winds in the region that could impact all fires. There is no rain coming through. Some communities are without power.”

Kotek said she had sent the National Guard to the region. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office also mobilized nearly 500 firefighters to help protect communities at risk.

The nearly 420-square-mile (1,088-square-kilometer) fire had prompted the evacuation of Huntington on Sunday, and city officials posted on Facebook on Wednesday that people who remained in the city, particularly those with “serious health conditions,” should leave their homes due to smoke from the wildfires and a lack of power. City officials also said Wednesday that gas service had been turned off to residents until evacuation orders were lifted.

The fire was closing in on Alison Oszman’s home in Rye Valley, a small ranching area north of Huntington, last week, but they were able to protect their property with the help of Bureau of Land Management firefighters and neighbors, using small tanker trucks and shovels. They used a small bulldozer to keep it away from the house, she said.

Because their property had already burned and was safe, her neighbor moved his horses and cattle as the fire moved toward his ranch, she said. On Wednesday night, Oszman went to check on his property and found that the fire had come down a steep hill and was threatening his home.

“I went to park our truck in the field in case those big trees by his house caught fire,” she said. “I made sure not to get any sparks in the dirt or the dry grass. But as the fire was moving past his house, it started raining.” The rain helped firefighters get on top of the fire.

“It was pretty scary, but everything just seemed to fall into place,” she said. “Everyone was helping everyone. It was actually pretty amazing how bad it actually was.”

The National Weather Service in Boise said the storms could produce wind gusts of up to 70 mph, with blowing dust limiting visibility. A storm about 44 miles (71 kilometers) northwest of Huntington near Baker City had recorded a 66 mph (106 kph) wind gust Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.

Wind, lightning and heavy rain could cause flash flooding and debris flows in recently burned areas, authorities said. Flash flood warnings were issued for Huntington and a nearby burn area.

The region’s largest electric utility, Idaho Power, warned customers to prepare for possible power outages, and nearly 7,000 customers were without electricity by late Wednesday afternoon, the company said. The company also shut off power to customers in the Boise Foothills and other nearby areas, citing extreme weather and the risk of wildfires.

More than 60 large fires are burning in Oregon and Washington alone. In addition, Oregon has been hit by hundreds of lightning strikes from thunderstorms in recent days, sparking new fires in parched vegetation.

A fire also raged in Southern California, spreading rapidly and threatening homes.

Evacuation orders were in effect Wednesday night in San Diego County after a wildfire began spreading rapidly near the San Diego-Riverside County border. Firefighters said the Grove Fire was spreading southeast through steep, challenging terrain. The blaze grew to 1.3 square miles (3.4 square kilometers) within hours, but was 5% contained just before 8 p.m., Cal Fire said on the social media platform X.

Smoke from Oregon’s Durkee Fire choked the air in Boise and surrounding areas, with an air quality advisory in effect for the entire region Wednesday.

Patrick Nauman, owner of Weiser Classic Candy in the small town of Weiser, Idaho, near the Oregon border, said driving into town Wednesday morning was “like driving in a fog bank, because it’s so thick and low over the road.”

Nauman’s shop is located at the city’s main intersection and is usually a popular place to grab lunch or a sweet treat. However, in recent days, the number of customers has halved due to thick smoke and temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in the region.

“Yesterday you could smell it, taste it, it just stuck in your throat,” Nauman said of the smoke.

Mike Cantin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise, said cooler air moving into the region Wednesday night could fan the flames of the Durkee and others. A red flag warning was in effect and the area is experiencing a heat wave, with many days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).

“With these winds today, any spark could very easily get out of hand. It could very quickly become a very dangerous situation,” Cantin said. “Don’t set anything on fire and be very careful around grass.”

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Associated Press editor Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington, and Martha Bellisle contributed from Seattle.