Video footage shared on social media captured a California home exploding after it became engulfed in flames on Wednesday night as the Park Fire continues burning in Butte County.
The Park Fire ignited on Wednesday afternoon and quickly spread to encompass more than 45,000 acres in Butte County, spurring a slew of evacuation orders and warnings issued by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The wildfire has since grown to become the largest wildfire currently burning in California, nearly 7,000 acres larger than the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara which started weeks ago and is the next largest wildfire in the state.
The home explosion was captured by a photojournalist documenting the fire, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“A photojournalist documenting the rapidly growing Park Fire near Chico captured the dramatic moment a home exploded in an area dotted with residences,” the San Francisco Chronicle posted on X, formerly Twitter with the video.
A photojournalist documenting the rapidly growing Park Fire near Chico captured the dramatic moment a home exploded in an area dotted with residences. https://t.co/IazxIQz7N5 pic.twitter.com/3diA8ZR9Nh
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) July 25, 2024
In the video, the wildfire was raging when suddenly the explosion consumed a house in front of the documenter, sending other personnel nearby running for cover in the trees. The video then cuts to a dashcam that captured the explosion from a different angle. Flames continued to ravage the property after the explosion.
Newsweek reached out to CAL FIRE by email for comment.
ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee also shared the alarming footage.
“HOME EXPLODES in California wildfire; The #ParkFire has grown to more than 45,000 acres in less than 24 hours… containment at 3% via @CAL_FIRE,” Zee posted with the video.
One social media user resharing the footage called it “hell on earth”.
“Update 11pm PT #PARKFIRE All I can say is ‘hell on earth’,” the user said.
As of the most recent CAL FIRE update issued on Thursday morning, road closures included Cohasset Road at Rock Creek and Upper Park Road at Wildwood.
“The Park Fire displayed dynamic fire activity overnight. Winds remained a factor and the temperature stayed in the 80s,” a summary of the fire from CALFIRE said. “Three helicopters were available for night operations, and they took advantage and spent the night finding hot spots to drop water on. Today the forecast is for more hot, dry weather with a steady breeze from the south again. CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 3 takes command of the fire today.”
The update said that 1,153 personnel were fighting the fire, with six helicopters, 153 engines amid other firefighting efforts.
This year, there have been 4,303 wildfires battled in the state, which have killed at least one civilian, burned 286,925 acres, damaged 53 structures and destroyed 113, Newsweek previously reported. In total, 339,183 emergency responses have taken place.
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