Man arrested on suspicion of starting Park Fire, which has grown to California’s largest this year
Last updated at 11:40 a.m.
The Park Fire was likely started by a man who pushed a burning car into a gully in Upper Bidwell Park.
This morning, a 42-year-old male resident of Chico was apprehended by Cal Fire arson investigators on suspicion of initiating the Park Fire.
According to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, the individual was seen pushing a car that was on fire near Alligator Hole. It reportedly went down an embankment, became engulfed in flames and started the fire.
A person nearby saw the incident, took photos of the man, and reported the incident to law enforcement. They then posted the photos and their experience on social media, where the footage has been circulated widely.
The press release said the man’s name will be released later this afternoon. A warrant was issued by a local judge, and the man was arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail.
The DA’s office says the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is being asked to call Cal Fire Investigations at 530-538-7888.
We are no longer updating this section of the article. Please refer to the latest information above.
Last updated at 10:45 a.m.
About 4,000 people remain evacuated from the Park Fire in Butte County, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, which has been issuing evacuations due to the fire through the night
The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office is also continuing to issue new evacuations this morning due to the fire.
The fire quickly exploded yesterday afternoon, growing to 45,550 acres by this morning. It’s 3% contained, according to the latest update from Cal Fire.
Widespread evacuations remain in place for the communities of Cohasset and Forest Ranch, which are both at very high risk of wildfire and have been top of mind for officials for years.
Many residents in Chico were up most of the night, as the Sheriff’s Office issued evacuations for parts of the city. The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office also issued several evacuations for areas near the Butte County line.
‘Whole area of the fire’ a concern
Hot, dry, windy conditions have led to the quick growth of the fire, but Dan Collins, fire captain and public information officer with Cal Fire and the Butte County Fire Department said it also moved into areas that have seen little fire in recent years. He said that was a significant factor to the fire’s growth.
He said one of the biggest challenges for firefighters has been the intense heat. Another is the accessibility of certain areas of the fire.
“There’s not a lot of road systems, or areas to get in and get direct with that,” he said “So we’re utilizing reconnaissance planes and bulldozers to kind of open up from some roads, containment lines, so we can get some resources in there.”
Collins said the “whole area of the fire” is of concern today. He said fire personnel continue to be focused on evacuations and structure defense while building direct containment lines.
“Once resources arrived, because again, people are en route from all over to come support the operations, they will be inserted into the areas of the most critical need,” he said.
The Park Fire burns north of Chico on July 24, 2024.Chico Fire Department
Cohasset efforts
With Cohasset only having one main road out of the fire, Collins said a significant emphasis was placed on evacuations and structural defense within the community.
Collins says that Sierra Pacific Industries provided assistance to residents.
“They were able to open up some of their private roads and assist in the evacuations, kind of getting the resources out, alternatively out of Cohasset,” Collins said. “They were tremendous help to us. They’re loggers and their personnel assisted tremendously with getting folks kind of out the back way through their land.”
More updates from today
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing fire management assistance for the Park Fire. California submitted the request when the fire was around 6,000 acres. At that time, the fire was threatening over 1,000 homes in the Cohasset and Richardson Springs area.
FEMA reports 15 other large fires burning uncontrolled in California. The assistance will cover up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs.
Last updated on July 24 at 9:45 p.m.
We are no longer updating this section of the article. Please refer to the latest information above.
Widespread evacuations are in place due to a fire that started in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico this afternoon. The fire currently stands at more than 1,500 acres, according to Cal Fire.
The entire community of Cohasset is currently under an evacuation order.
Most of Forest Ranch is under an evacuation warning. Both are at very high risk of wildfire and have been top of mind for officials for years.
Another concern about Cohasset is it only has one main road to get in and out.
In a live YouTube video about the fire, Zeke Lunder, a North State fire analyst and founder of The Lookout, said there’s likely still a lot of people in the community.
“The open question is whether or not they’ll be able to get people down out of there. Cohasset has no secondary access that’s paved. There’s dirt logging roads to go out the top and make their way back to Highway 32 eventually, but there’s no secondary paved access roads out of Cohasset,” Lunder said.
Cohasset was one of the first areas to have evaluations issued. Rick Carhart, public information officer for Cal Fire and the Butte County Fire Department told NSPR a little after 6 p.m. that at the point the fire wasn’t near Cohasset, but it was moving in that direction.
“We’re just trying to make sure that we give everybody as much advance warning as we can … so that people aren’t having to just really like panic when they finally are told [they] have to leave,” Carhart said. “We’re trying to get it done nice and early.”
Several evacuation zones in the Upper Bidwell Park area of Chico are also under an order, as well as several zones in Tehama County.
Northbound traffic along Eaton and Cohasset roads has been shut down due to the ongoing incident. Officials ask that residents avoid the area if possible.
More about the Park Fire
Cal Fire and the Chico Fire Department are unified command on the fire. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office is issuing evacuations.
Carhart said the agency has had significant resources on the fire since this afternoon, including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, fire engines and water tenders. Aircraft have been making retardant and water drops on the fire.
“The helicopters have a pretty quick turnaround because they’re able to just come right over the ridge and down and get water out of Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park,” Carhart said.
He said conditions have been windy with a significant amount of steady wind coming from the south.
“Any kind of a wind on fire, that’s one of the biggest drivers of the movement and the growth and the spread of a wildland fire is when the wind gets on it,” Carhart said.
Record-breaking hot weather this month has caused dangerously dry conditions. Carhart said this can cause quick changes in the fire’s direction.
“It’s just so dry that pretty much everything that a spark touches is catching on fire right now,” Carhart said.
Carhart stressed that residents should stay apprised of the fire and monitor the situation. He said to keep an eye on information from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office and his agency.
“If your zone is under an evacuation order, we urge everybody to get out as quickly as possible and not try to stick around,” Carhart said.
Officials are also asking all residents to make sure they know their evacuation zone.
Links to follow to stay updated
- Butte County Sheriff’s Office evacuation zone map
- Butte County Sheriff’s Office Twitter
- Butte County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
- Cal Fire Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department Twitter
- Cal Fire Butte Unit/Butte County Fire Department Facebook
- Butte County website (contains information during emergencies)
Evacuation centers
- Neighborhood Church – 2801 Notre Dame Boulevard in Chico
- Small animal shelter – 2279 Del Oro in Oroville
- Large animal shelter – Camelot Equestrian Park in Oroville.
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