California Wildfire Has Burned 599 Square Miles, Destroyed 165 Structures

Containment has increased on a fire that exploded in size and in a few days became California’s sixth largest wildfire, destroying hundreds of structures.

The Park Fire near Chico, California, has burned 383,619 acres, and as of Tuesday morning it was 14% contained, up from 12% containment on Monday. The Fire, which is now the nation’s largest active wildfire and the sixth largest in California history at 599 square miles, has destroyed 165 structures and damaged 15 structures, according to CalFire.

The fire is burning in Butte County where is started, and has spread to Tehama, Plumas and Shasta counties.

The Park Fire started on Wednesday. A Chico man accused of setting the fire by pushing a flaming vehicle into a grassy area was arrested last week.

“The fire continues to burn actively at multiple locations around the perimeter,” a CalFire update states. “Smoke blanketed the northern portion of the fire, causing a slight dampening of activity within that area. The southern portion of the fire had clearer skies, allowing for the finer fuels, such as grass, to be more receptive to fire with a longer burn window.”

Evacuation orders and warnings are still in place for several affected areas.

Other large fires burning in California include the 2024 SQF Lightning Complex fire in Tulare, which is 85,583 acres and is 33% contained, the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County (38,664 acres and 92% contained), and the Shelly Fire in Siskiyou County (15,520 acres and 92% contained).

This month has been active for wildfires. A CalFire official said at the begging of July said this season so far looks to be another challenging one for the state.

According to CalFire, 4,574 wildfires have burned 726,667 acres so far this year, and 291 structures have been reported damaged or destroyed.

Top photo: Park Fire near Chico, California is now the state’s sixth largest in history. Source: CalFire.

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