California firefighters say fire is 10% contained

Scott Weese of Cal Fire, who studies fire behavior, said at a briefing that Saturday was “the best day, weather-wise, that we’ll see this week.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency in Butte and Tehama counties on Friday, saying in a statement that “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.” More than 3,700 firefighters were deployed Saturday night.

Evacuation orders and warnings were in effect in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties. Roads, including parts of Route 36, remained closed.

Authorities suspect the fire started when 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout pushed a burning vehicle into a ravine in a lush wilderness area. Officials said he has not yet been charged, but they plan to arrest him on suspicion of first-degree arson once they finish reviewing the evidence, The Washington Post reported. He is in the Butte County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, the Butte County district attorney’s office said.

The worst fire in California history was the August Complex Fire in August 2020burning more than 1 million acres. The Park Fire was the seventh worst fire in terms of acreage burned through Saturday evening.

A fire that started in Southern California’s Sequoia National Forest has spread to more than 94,000 acres. The Borel Fire started on July 24 on federal land in the forest and burned in the communities of Havilah and Piute Meadow Ranches, the U.S. Forest Service reported Saturday.

The unusually warm weather has led to an increased risk of fire. Record-breaking heat has been a factor in the state’s recent devastating fire seasons, particularly in 2020, when more than 4 million acres burned. Wildfires in California have burned at least 626,000 acres so far this year.

Brianna Sacks contributed to this report.