Park fire: California wildfire tears through 5,000 acres per hour

During an operational briefing, Mr See said there were almost three times as many personnel fighting the fire on Saturday as on Friday, and that “we still don’t have enough”.

Scott Weese, a fire behavior expert with Cal Fire, said there was a high fuel load in the area and a lot of grass growing.

“The heat signature is enormous,” he told the operational briefing, adding that the fire burned 150,000 acres yesterday.

Authorities hoped they could use the easing of conditions on Saturday to help contain some of the fire. Winds eased and temperatures dropped by about 15F, but are still hovering in the low 90s (32C) in some areas.

Officials said fire whirls are less likely today after a rare “firenado” – a swirling vortex of flames and ash formed by intense heat and strong winds – was filmed winding through the undergrowth on Friday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Butte and Tehama counties on Friday due to the fire in the park.

“We are using all available resources to protect lives and property as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these challenging fires,” he said in a statement.

At least 16 helicopters are busy fighting the fire, and if conditions permit, several fire-fighting aircraft will dump water from the air.

The wildfire prompted mandatory evacuations in Butte, where California’s deadliest fire, the Camp Fire, killed more than 80 people in 2018.

The 400 residents of Cohasset have already been relocated because the fire has become uncontrollable.

According to Cal Fire, 134 structures have been destroyed and 4,200 are at risk.

Officers arrested Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, and accused him of “calmly leaving the area by blending in with other citizens in the area and fleeing the rapidly growing fire” he had started.

He is being held without bail while authorities determine what charges he will face.

A woman who answered the door to the mobile home listed as his home in Chico told the San Francisco Chronicle that prosecutors are “trying to make him a scapegoat.”

“They say he did it on purpose, but he didn’t. The car caught fire,” the unidentified woman said, before declining to answer further questions.

The Park Fire is one of many fires currently raging across the US and Canada.

The National Interagency Fire Center is currently monitoring 102 major fires across the U.S., mostly in West Coast states.

A firefighter pilot was killed in a tanker plane crash in Oregon after the plane disappeared without a trace on Thursday night.

In Canada, a major wildfire in Jasper National Park destroyed hundreds of buildings in the town of Jasper.

Weekend conditions in Jasper have improved, with rain and cooler temperatures helping to protect other parts of the historic tourist town.