Firefighters in California are battling a massive wildfire Thursday that has forced the evacuation of more than 3,500 people and is spreading rapidly, according to local authorities.
The Park Fire broke out Wednesday night in the northern part of the state, the last day of a new heat wave that has hit the region. In less than 24 hours, it has already consumed about 290 km2 of vegetation.
The fire has forced the evacuation of “more than 3,500 people,” according to a statement from California Governor Gavin Newsom. The flames are particularly threatening the small town of Chico, about a three-hour drive north of San Francisco.
More than 1,150 firefighters are working to fight the blaze, which is currently only 3% contained, according to CalFire.
This forest fire brings back bad memories in California: Chico is located only about twenty kilometers from Paradise, a town that was destroyed by a violent fire in 2018 and where 85 people died.
The fire appears to have been of criminal origin: a suspect was arrested on Thursday morning and placed in provisional detention, according to the local justice system.
The American West has experienced several heat waves since early June, and dozens of fires are currently burning in the region.
Neighboring California, Oregon is battling a megafire, the largest in the country, which has ravaged more than 1,080 km2 wildfires have sparked evacuations in a rural area of the state. The flames are raging and creating columns of smoke, affecting air quality as far away as neighboring Idaho.
The fires are also affecting western Canada, where part of the tourist town of Jasper has been destroyed.
With global warming, the western part of the North American continent is increasingly hit by extreme weather events.
In mid-July, California Governor Gavin Newsom warned of a fire season that “looks set to be very active,” after two years of respite brought about by very rainy winters, which allowed vegetation to grow back and act as fuel when it dries out.
By mid-July, forest fires had ravaged 840 km2 since the beginning of the year, compared to an average of 156 km2 at the same time for the last five years.