CHICO, California — Firefighters made progress Saturday in battling California’s largest wildfire of the year, ahead of expected thunderstorms that could bring fire-starting lightning and erratic winds that could disrupt the progress of the past week. Dry, hot conditions posed similar threats in the the fire-ravaged West.
“We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but it’s looking very, very good,” CalFire official Mark Brunton said in a video update Saturday. “This is moving very quickly.”
Containment of the Park Fire, now California’s fourth-largest wildfire on record, was 27% as of Saturday morning. Brunton said relatively milder weather in recent days allowed firefighters to build containment lines.
But warmer weather, fuels and terrain will continue to pose challenges for the estimated 6,500 firefighters battling the blaze, which has spread across 600 square miles (1,621 square kilometers) since 1941. reportedly started arson in a park in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley city of Chico. For comparison, the city of Los Angeles covers about 503 square miles (1,302 square kilometers).
On Saturday, fire crews will also begin clearing damaged infrastructure in some areas so residents can return home.
The fire started at low elevations, where it quickly burned through thick grass and oak trees, destroying at least 567 structures and damaging 51. As it climbed higher, the vegetation changed to a greater concentration of trees and brush, Cal Fire said.
The fire is moving north into the rugged lava landscape surrounding Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is closed due to the threat.
“There’s a lot of really steep drainages in that area,” CalFire spokesman Devin Terrill said. “It takes a lot longer to get to those areas.”
After a brief respite, firefighters are now bracing for dangerously hot and dry weather, with the expected thunderstorms with possible lightning strikes and gusts of wind.
The collapse of storm clouds can blow winds in all directions, said Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire. “Even if there’s not necessarily lightning, it’s a very safe environment for our firefighters out there,” Pangburn said.
The Park Fire is one of nearly 100 large blazes burning in the western U.S. Evacuation orders were in effect for 28 of the fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Three forest fires burned in Colorado on Friday in densely populated areas north and south of Denver, with about 50 buildings damaged or destroyed, thousands of people forced to evacuate and human remains found in a destroyed home earlier in the week.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire that is threatening hundreds of homes near the Colorado city of Littleton as arson.
Karlyn Tilley, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said the investigation is ongoing and they are using a dog that is specially trained to detect the sources and causes of fires. Tilley said that just because they suspect the fire was human-caused, that doesn’t mean it was intentional.
Firefighters made good progress in extinguishing the fire, despite the steep, rocky terrain and scorching heat. No homes were burned, authorities said.
The cause and origin of a deadly fire west of the city of Lyons was being investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with specially trained agency fire investigators assisting local authorities, agency spokeswoman Crystal McCoy said. The area blackened by that fire remained relatively unchanged after it burned five homes.
The largest of the Colorado fires, west of Loveland, grew to 14.9 square miles (38.5 square kilometers) after burning 49 homes and other structures. The cause is under investigation.
Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more frequent and devastating in the western US and other parts of the world. climate change is warming the planet and droughts become more severe.