{"id":2309712,"date":"2024-07-26T15:40:48","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T19:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2309712"},"modified":"2024-07-26T15:49:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T19:49:03","slug":"california-wildfire-triples-in-size-to-become-largest-of-the-year-one-man-under-arrest-for-starting-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-wildfire-triples-in-size-to-become-largest-of-the-year-one-man-under-arrest-for-starting-it\/","title":{"rendered":"California Wildfire Triples in Size to Become Largest of the Year, One Man Under Arrest for Starting It"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-wildfire-triples-in-size-to-become-largest-of-the-year-one-man-under-arrest-for-starting-it%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2309712&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Authorities have reported that the \u2064Park Fire in California, the \u2062largest wildfire\u200d of \u200bthe year, was ignited \u2064by a man seen pushing a burning car\u2063 into\u2062 a gully at Bidwell Park. This incident\u2062 has led to the arrest of a 42-year-old \u200cman from Chico, who is currently being held without bail. \u2064The fire has rapidly expanded, consuming over 257 square miles and prompting evacuations in Butte and Tehama counties, with only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-sees-its-largest-wildfire-of-the-year\/\" title=\"California Sees Its Largest Wildfire of the Year\">3 percent containment<\/a>\u2062 as of Friday morning. \u2063 <\/p>\n<p>The fire&#8217;s intensity can be attributed to\u200d dry conditions, high temperatures, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/n-j-declares-state-of-emergency-as-severe-winter-storm-brings-snow-and-high-winds\/\" title=\"N.J. declares state of emergency as severe winter storm brings snow and high winds\">strong winds<\/a>, causing substantial challenges for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-least-36-killed-in-hawaii-wildfires\/\" title=\"Over 36 dead in Hawaii wildfires.\">firefighting \u200defforts<\/a>.\u2062 Two\u200d minor \u2063injuries \u200dhave\u200c occurred, along with \u200dsome property damage. The Park Fire is burning near Paradise,\u200c an area previously devastated by\u2062 the deadly \u200dCamp Fire in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, other regions are \u200dalso\u2062 battling wildfires, with more than 1,500 square miles burned across the U.S. Pacific Northwest and additional fires in Canada. Notably, Oregon&#8217;s Durkee Fire remains\u2062 a significant blaze, while thunderstorms have aided some firefighting efforts\u200c in eastern Oregon. However, lightning\u2064 from\u2063 these storms has sparked new fires in Idaho and Montana. In California, several smaller fires are also ongoing, with containment efforts hampered by similar adverse weather conditions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section>\n<p>Authorities announced that a wildfire that tripled in size to become California&rsquo;s largest of the year was started by a man who was seen pushing a burning car into a gully.<\/p>\n<p>The man then calmly left the area in Bidwell Park, blending in with other people and fleeing the scene as the rapidly spreading flames caused the Park Fire, Butte County prosecutor Mike Ramsey said. A 42-year-old man from Chico was arrested early Thursday and held without bail pending a Monday arraignment, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>A massive firefighting response couldn&rsquo;t contain the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-rocky-mountain-town-prepares-last-stand-intense-wildfire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fire<\/a> as it roared through dry brush and rough terrain and sent a huge plume of smoke over neighboring states. It had burned more than 257 square miles by early Friday as it expanded from the hills above Chico, a city of about 100,000 in the northern Central Valley.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-evacuations-ordered-us-wildfire-spreads-cause-still-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Evacuations were ordered<\/a> in Butte and Tehama counties, with the Park Fire only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arsenic-and-lead-found-to-be-prevalent-in-baby-food\/\" title=\"Arsenic and lead found to be prevalent in baby food\">3 percent contained<\/a> by Friday morning. About 4,000 residents in unincorporated areas of Butte County and 400 residents of Chico were ordered to evacuate, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said late Thursday. An unspecified number of structures have been destroyed, and two minor injuries were reported, Butte County Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The fire quickly began to outpace our resources because of the dry fuels, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/motorcyclist-dead-intense-heat-wave-severe-damage-death-valley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hot weather<\/a>, the low humidities and the wind,&rdquo; Sjolund said.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The Park Fire was burning to the northwest of Paradise, the Butte County community where in 2018 the notorious Camp Fire killed 85 people and incinerated thousands of homes, becoming California&rsquo;s deadliest and most destructive wildfire. Honea said he wanted &ldquo;to express regret and frustration by the fact that we are here once again.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Overall, more than 1,500 square miles have burned so far this summer in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and more wildfires have spread in western Canada.<\/p>\n<p>The most damage so far has been to the Canadian Rockies&rsquo; Jasper National Park, where a fast-moving wildfire forced 25,000 people to flee and devastated the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-hydrothermal-explosion-at-yellowstone-sends-park-visitors-running-for-their-lives\/\" title=\"Watch: Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone Sends Park Visitors Running for Their Lives\">park&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s namesake town, a World Heritage site.<\/p>\n<p>Oregon still has the biggest active blaze in the United States, the Durkee Fire, which combined with the Cow Fire to burn nearly 630 square miles. It remains unpredictable and was only 20 percent contained Friday, according to the government website InciWeb.<\/p>\n<p>Some residents were cleared to return home in areas already burned by the Durkee Fire after thunderstorms Wednesday produced welcome rain and cooler temperatures. Evacuations were lifted for the eastern Oregon city of Huntington, population 500. Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash called the rain a &ldquo;godsend,&rdquo; and the Oregon state fire marshal said firefighters were set to &ldquo;seize the opportunity&rdquo; of better conditions to push back the fire on the Oregon-Idaho border.<\/p>\n<p>But the leading edge of that weather also produced lightning strikes, which started 15 new fires in Idaho. For the first time, Idaho Power pre-emptively shut off electricity to thousands of customers to prevent new fires and power grid trouble from wires downed by the high winds, the utility said.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Forest Service told Boise&rsquo;s KBOI-TV that several of those had been extinguished by Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, more than two dozen new fires also started in Montana on Wednesday and early Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in California, about 1,000 people remained displaced Thursday by the lightning-sparked Gold Complex fires, which burned more than 4 square miles of brush and timber in the Plumas National Forest in California, near the Nevada line and about 50 miles northwest of Reno, Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman said. There have been no reports of structural damage, deaths or serious injuries, but the fires were at zero containment Thursday amid the same gusty winds plaguing crews working the Park Fire, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>And in inland Southern California, firefighters battled a small fire that erupted Thursday afternoon in hills just above the Riverside County city of Lake Elsinore. The Macy Fire was 15 percent contained early Friday, with one unspecified structure destroyed. In rural northern San Diego County, containment of the 3-day-old Grove Fire jumped to 25 percent after a day of minimal growth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Authorities have revealed that a wildfire, which grew threefold to become California&#8217;s largest this year, was ignited by a man observed pushing a burning vehicle into a gully. Afterward, he nonchalantly exited Bidwell Park, mingling with others and escaping as the flames spread quickly, leading to the Park Fire, according to Butte County prosecutor Mike Ramsey. A 42-year-old man from Chico was arrested early Thursday and is being held without bail until his arraignment on Monday, officials reported. Despite a significant firefighting effort, the blaze continued to rage through dry vegetation and challenging terrain, producing a large smoke plume that affected neighboring states. By early Friday, the fire had consumed over 257 square miles, expanding from the hills above Chico, a city with a population of around 100,000 in Northern California&#8217;s Central Valley. Evacuations were mandated in Butte and Tehama counties, with the Park Fire only 3 percent contained by Friday morning. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea announced that approximately 4,000 residents in unincorporated areas of Butte County and 400 residents of Chico were ordered to evacuate. An unspecified number of structures have been destroyed, and two minor injuries have been reported, according to Butte County Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund. &#8220;The fire quickly began to outpace our resources due to dry fuels, high temperatures, low humidity, and wind,&#8221; Sjolund stated.<\/p>\n<p>The Park Fire is burning northwest of Paradise, the Butte County town that experienced the devastating Camp Fire in 2018, which resulted in 85 fatalities and destroyed thousands of homes, making it California&#8217;s deadliest and most destructive wildfire. Honea expressed his regret and frustration at the recurrence of such incidents. This summer, over 1,500 square miles have burned in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, with additional wildfires spreading in western Canada. The most significant damage has occurred in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies, where a rapidly advancing wildfire forced 25,000 people to evacuate and devastated the park&#8217;s namesake town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Oregon is currently facing the largest active wildfire in the U.S., the Durkee Fire, which merged with the Cow Fire to scorch nearly 630 square miles. As of Friday, it was only 20 percent contained, according to the government website InciWeb. Some residents were allowed to return home in areas previously affected by the Durkee Fire after thunderstorms brought much-needed rain and cooler temperatures. Evacuations were lifted for the eastern Oregon city of Huntington, which has a population of 500. Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash referred to the rain as a &#8220;godsend,&#8221; and the Oregon state fire marshal indicated that firefighters were ready to take advantage of the improved conditions to combat the fire along the Oregon-Idaho border. However, the same weather system also caused lightning strikes that ignited 15 new fires in Idaho. For the first time, Idaho Power proactively shut off electricity to thousands of customers to prevent new fires and issues with the power grid due to downed wires from high winds. The U.S. Forest Service informed Boise&#8217;s KBOI-TV that several of these fires had been extinguished by Thursday afternoon. Additionally, over two dozen new fires ignited in Montana on Wednesday and early Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>In other parts of California, around 1,000 people remained displaced on Thursday due to the Gold Complex fires, which have burned over 4 square miles of brush and timber in the Plumas National Forest, located near the Nevada border and about 50 miles northwest of Reno, according to Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman. There have been no reports of structural damage, fatalities, or serious injuries, but the fires were at zero containment on Thursday, facing the same gusty winds affecting crews battling the Park Fire. In inland Southern California, firefighters were working to control a small fire that broke out Thursday afternoon in the hills above Lake Elsinore in Riverside County. The Macy Fire was 15 percent contained early Friday, with one unspecified structure reported destroyed. In rural northern San Diego County, the containment of the Grove Fire, which has been burning for three days, increased to 25 percent after a day of minimal growth. The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press report and may have made alterations prior to publication to ensure it aligns with our editorial standards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2309723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/945b32a25c7749bbbcfbbaddabc34543-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36211,33310,33565,36388,36387],"class_list":["post-2309712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california-wildfire","tag-criminal-charges","tag-environmental-impact","tag-fire-safety","tag-largest-wildfire-2023"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/945b32a25c7749bbbcfbbaddabc34543-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2309712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2309723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2309712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2309712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2309712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}