Firefighters battling to contain the raging Park Fire got a brief respite Friday morning thanks to low clouds and slightly cooler temperatures that could help slow the spread of the fourth-largest wildfire in state history.
But the break is expected to be short.
By midday, the 6,375 firefighters on the ground would face temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, possible thunderstorms that could arrive overnight and erratic winds that would hamper their mission to contain the flames.
For the weekend, firefighters expect more of the same challenges, with triple-digit temperatures expected to continue for the next few days and lightning during thunderstorms threatening to fuel the blaze.
“The biggest thing they're concerned about is climate change,” said Capt. Jim Evans, part of the multiagency team assigned to the park fire under the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the area are expected to reach 101 degrees on Saturday and 102 on Sunday.
A helicopter drops water on the park fire near Butte Meadows on Tuesday.
(Nic Coury/Associated Press)
As of Friday morning, the Park Fire had burned 397,629 acres and destroyed 542 structures, according to Cal Fire.
The flames have spread rapidly across Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties, fueled by thick, dry vegetation parched by this summer's intense heat waves, fire officials said.
As of Friday morning, the fire was 24% contained.
But firefighters said they face multiple challenges in their fight, including low humidity, the possibility of erratic winds and steep topography that has made radio communication between crews on the ground difficult.
Evans said the possibility of thunderstorms this weekend raised concerns that lightning could spark fires in areas already extinguished by firefighters.
Thunderstorms are also expected to bring erratic winds, making it difficult to anticipate the fire's progress and behavior, Evans said.
According to Cal Fire, crews are spread across 200 miles of active fire front.
Andrea Blaylock stands among the charred remains of her home near Forest Ranch, California, which was destroyed by the park fire on Tuesday.
(Nic Coury/Associated Press)
Cal Fire has also turned some of its attention to protecting Lassen Volcanic National Park, northeast of the fire. Crews have built a direct line north of Howard Creek and installed a secondary line through the park from Viola Mineral Road to Highway 89 to prevent the flames from moving deeper into the forest.
California is notorious for its destructive wildfire seasons. This year has been one of the worst, with more than 4,700 individual fires burning more than 772,000 acres across the state.
The park fire, believed to have been started by a man seen pushing a burning car into a ravine, was by far the largest so far.
In Kern and Tulare counties, the Lightning Complex Fire has burned more than 91,000 acres since it began July 13.
In Santa Barbara County, Friday's Lake Fire was 95% contained after burning more than 38,000 acres. And the Hill Fire in Humboldt and Trinity counties has burned more than 7,200 acres.
In Riverside County, the Nixon Fire had burned 5,222 acres and was 21% contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
