California’s first arson-caused megafire of the year prompts evacuation of thousands

This is the first megafire of the year in the state. Firefighters in California battled a massive blaze on Thursday, July 26, that forced the evacuation of more than 3,500 people and spread very quickly. The blaze broke out Wednesday afternoon in northern California. Golden Stateon the last day of a new heat wave that has dried out the region. In just over 24 hours, it has already ravaged more than 500 km2 of vegetation and reached the stage of megafire.

The fire caused the evacuation of “more than 3,500 people”according to a statement from California Governor Gavin Newsom. The flames are threatening the small town of Chico, a three-hour drive north of San Francisco. The fire is believed to be of criminal origin: a suspect was arrested Thursday morning and placed in pretrial detention, according to the local prosecutor.

This 42-year-old man, who has a criminal record, “was seen pushing a burning car into a ravine”the prosecution explained in a statement. “The car rolled down an embankment about sixty meters and burned completely, spreading the flames which caused the fire”More than 1,150 firefighters are battling the blaze, which is currently just 3 percent contained, according to the latest incident report from CalFire.

This disaster brings back bad memories in California: Chico is located about twenty kilometers from Paradise, a town that was destroyed by a violent fire in 2018 and in which 85 people lost their lives. The American West has experienced several heat waves that have dried out its wide open spaces since the beginning of June, and dozens of fires are currently burning in the region, sometimes caused by lightning.