The largest wildfire in California so far this year was apparently caused by a man’s strange and selfish behavior.
An unidentified 42 year old from Chico was allegedly caught pushing a car that was on fire into a gulley in upper Bidwell Park just before 3pm on Wednesday, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office announced.
The vehicle then tumbled 60 feet down an embankment, sparking the blaze – which engulfed more than 71,000 acres of northern California overnight and prompted mass evacuations, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
‘The man was seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire,’ the District Attorney’s Office said.
‘Cal Fire arson investigators responded, secured the scene and began to search for clues to identify the unknown man.’
An unidentified 42 year old man allegedly started a California wildfire after he pushed a car that was on fire into a gulley
The Park fire in Butte County has engulfed 71,000 acres – making it the largest in the state so far this year
Authorities ultimately identified the suspect early Thursday morning, and took him into custody.
He was then booked into the Butte County Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to the District Attorney’s Office, which said it will release the man’s name later on Thursday.
Meanwhile, more than 1,100 firefighters are now battling the Park Fire – up from just 200 firefighters on the front lines at dawn.
The Chico Fire Department has said it is using every fire engine in the city, and agencies from across northern California are on their way to assist, according to KCRA.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has also announced it is authorizing federal funding to help combat the fire as it continues to destroy homes and other structures.
More than 1,100 firefighters are now battling the Park Fire – up from just 200 firefighters on the front lines at dawn
The fire was just 3 percent contained as of Thursday evening
The extent of the damage from the Park Fire remains unclear, as Cal Fire officials have yet to start tallying the number of destroyed structures.
But authorities have said it is the largest fire that California has seen all year, and the fifth-largest in the state over the past three years.
More than 3,500 people have already been displaced as evacuation orders remain in place for large swaths of areas in Butte and Tehama counties, with multiple other areas in each county were under evacuation orders as of Thursday evening.
At the time, the fire was just 3 percent contained at that time – though officials worry it will soon spread to more populated areas, as fire conditions ramp up.
More than 3,500 people have already been displaced as evacuation orders remain in place
Forecasters for the National Weather Service have warned there could wind gusts of up to 30mph that could push the fire further north.
Combined with low humidity and temperatures in the mid-90s to low-100s through Friday evening, the forecasters say that ‘can cause new fire starts and ongoing wildfires to… grow rapidly and dangerously in size and intensity.’
Additionally, strong southeast winds up the Sacramento Valley, combined with strong southwest winds atop ridges could allow the fire to ‘breathe,’ which could result in it spreading even more rapidly, the Chronicle reports.
Firefighters have said they are being hindered by the area’s steep terrain, and are using aircrafts to help put out the blaze
The fire is now burning north into the Ishi Wilderness and Lassen foothills, which experts say has not seen any fire activity in decades – if not a century.
‘Once it got into that area, it had a lot of fuel to consume,’ Dan Collins, a spokesman for the Butte Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the Los Angeles Times.
There, the fire was able to eat through new grasses that sprang up in the wake of two back-to-back wet winters, Zeke Lunder, a Chico-based fire specialist and geographer explained.
But it really accelerated once it reached higher vegetation, with live oaks and grapevines that spit out embers as they burn that can be carried in the wind to start new fires.
The fire has already destroyed some homes and other structures in its path
The extent of the damage is not yet clear, as officials have yet to tally the number of destroyed structures
The blaze is now expected to continue to grow in the days ahead, Lunder said, noting that it’s not unusual for fires of this size to double in acreage every day.
‘It’s a big one,’ he said.
‘Unless you can get people out there on the ground to put in fire lines, aircraft alone aren’t necessarily going to put this fire out – and the area where it’s burning into is extremely rough’ with steep, inaccessible terrain.
Collins even admitted the fire crews are having trouble getting resources into the edges of the fire, which has the potential to spread into the town of Cohasset – which Lunder said would be the ‘worst case scenario’ and could lead to major structure loss.
Collins says more containment is now needed to protect the nearby communities, and further evacuation orders may be issued.
