He predicted the fire could grow to several hundred thousand acres, spreading north and east. The next populated communities may be a ways away — but even those could be at risk in coming days, he added.
“There’s a lot of fuel ahead of this thing,” Swain said.
Butte County fire chief Garrett Sjolund said at a news conference Thursday that the fire “quickly began to outpace our resources because of the dry fuels, the hot weather, the low humidity, and the wind.” Gusty winds and dry conditions were predicted for the region until at least late Friday, with a National Weather Service Red Flag warning for critical fire weather conditions in effect.
The fire started about 3 p.m. Wednesday and “exploded from a 400-acre fire to a more than 71,000-acre inferno consuming everything in its path” overnight into Thursday, Cal Fire said on social media. By late Thursday it was burning across more than 145,000 acres in Butte and Tehama counties and had produced several fire tornadoes.
About 4,400 residents are under evacuation orders, including the communities of Cohasset and Forest Ranch and areas in northeast Chico, authorities said. Two minor injuries were reported, and photos showed multiple homes damaged or destroyed.
Butte County District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey said Ronnie Stout, 42, of Chico would be arraigned Monday on charges related to arson that have yet to be determined. Investigators say a witness saw him pushing a flaming car off an embankment in upper Bidwell Park, starting the blaze.
“She saw him get into the vehicle, do something in the vehicle, get out of the vehicle, and then push the flaming vehicle down the embankment,” Ramsey told reporters. “We are here today because of that.” He said the vehicle was Stout’s mother’s car.
Stout was arrested early Thursday on a no-bail warrant, Ramsey said.
Butte County has repeatedly been ravaged by deadly and destructive wildfires. The Camp Fire nearly incinerated the town of Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people. On Friday, residents of Paradise were on edge after authorities told them to prepare for the chance they’ll need to evacuate as Park Fire flames spread.
In 2021, the Dixie Fire, which was sparked by PG&E power lines, devastated the town of Greenville, Calif., and burned nearly 1 million acres, the second-largest fire in state history. Earlier this month, the Thompson Fire near Oroville destroyed or damaged dozens of structures and burned more than 3,700 acres before fire crews contained it.
So far this year, 4,367 fires have erupted in California, burning at least 343,253 acres. These ignitions have come from a mix of causes, including lightning and arson. Scientists say that climate change is a driving force in making wildfires more explosive in California, and around the world.
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