Hot, dry weather in California continues to fuel wildfires, with explosive growth again seen at the Park Fire in Butte and Tehama counties, as well as other smaller fires across the state.
The Park Fire, already the fourth-largest wildfire in state history, had a major flare-up Monday, with dramatic plumes of smoke filling the air near the intersection of Highways 32 and 36, not far from the small town of Mineral. That town was already under an evacuation order; additional orders were issued for several communities in Tehama County near the Plumas County border.
“The fire is expected to continue to challenge crews until more favorable conditions arrive later in the week,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection wrote in its latest update Tuesday.
Jim Evans, a spokesman for the park's fire department, said the fire reached a remote area with exceptionally dry and intact underbrush, making it difficult to fight, especially in high temperatures.
On Tuesday morning, “we had some of the same conditions as yesterday,” Evans said. “That adds fuel to the fire.”
Humidity could drop further on Tuesday, officials said.
“We’re doing everything we can to keep the acreage down and also increase containment,” Evans said. “Humidity has been going down. [low] even at night.”
The Park Fire, which is now 34% contained, reached 414.0042 acres as of Tuesday morning, more than 10,000 acres larger than Monday morning. More than 600 structures have been destroyed, many of them homes, and nearly 3,000 remain at risk, according to Cal Fire.
“Extremely low fuel moisture, steep canyons, long drive times, and daily spot fires have made suppressing fire spread difficult,” Cal Fire wrote in its update. “Temperatures will remain high and dry throughout the day.”
In San Bernardino, a wildfire swept through a hillside community Monday afternoon, where the area remained under an excessive heat warning.
The Edgehill fire, which was limited to 54 acres, forced many residents to evacuate and destroyed several homes, according to San Bernardino Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin. He said assessment crews are still working to determine the extent of the damage.
“The real miracle that came out of this was the fact that the fire hit the community so hard and no civilians were injured,” Sherwin said. “It’s incredible.”
He said one firefighter was injured but has since been released from the hospital.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire was 75% contained, according to the fire department. Investigators are looking into the origin of the fire, which appears to have been man-made, Sherwin said.
