Fire in California park is one of the largest fires in state history

In less than a week, California’s Park Fire has become the sixth largest wildfire in state history.

According to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the fire has grown to 368,256 acres as of Monday afternoon and is affecting parts of Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas Counties. Officials say the fire is only 12 percent contained, and Cal Fire said in its update to X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that the size of the fire “underscores the urgent need for wildfire preparedness.”

The Park Fire covers 360,000 acres, or about 575 square miles, and is currently about half the size of Rhode Island. Authorities say the fire started near Chico in Northern California. No deaths have been reported.

The Park Fire ranks just below the Creek Fire, which burned approximately 379,895 acres near the Sierra National Forest and lasted from September 4, 2020, to December 24, 2020. The seventh-largest fire in California history is the LNU Lightning Complex, which was active for 46 days from August to October 2020 and affected five counties: Napa, Solano, Lake, Sonoma and Yolo.

The Butte County Prosecutor’s Office announced last week that 42-year-old Ronnie Stout II has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with the Park Fire, which broke out Wednesday night into Thursday. Authorities said Stout pushed a burning car into a ditch, sparking the fire.

The fire has grown rapidly, more than doubling in size from Friday to Sunday. Cal Fire said in its update Monday that residents near the fire can sign up for emergency alerts at readyforwildfire.org and stay prepared in case an evacuation notice is issued.

“The efforts of CAL FIRE and our partners, combined with favorable weather conditions, have resulted in progress in containing the situation. However, warmer weather is on the horizon,” the message to X read. “Summer is far from over, so staying prepared is critical.”

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures near Chico Municipal Airport will top 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday and the heat will last into the weekend.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a video update posted Sunday that more than 2,500 firefighters had been deployed. Part of the challenge in containing the blaze is dealing with the terrain and fuel conditions in Northern California, where there is no “big timber” and “a lot of available fuel to burn” in the path of the Park Fire, Fire Chief Robert Foxworthy said Saturday.

Newsweek contacted Cal Fire by email on Monday for additional information.