Firefighters battling to contain the raging Park Fire got a brief respite Friday morning thanks to low clouds and slightly cooler temperatures that could help slow the spread of the fourth-largest wildfire in state history.
But the break should be short-lived.
By midday, the 6,375 firefighters on the ground were facing temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, possible thunderstorms arriving in the evening and erratic winds that would hamper their mission to contain the flames.
Firefighters are expecting more challenges this weekend, with triple-digit temperatures expected to persist for the next few days and lightning strikes during thunderstorms threatening to fan the blaze.
“What they’re most concerned about out there is the change in weather,” said Capt. Jim Evans, a member of the multi-agency team assigned to the park fire under the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the area are expected to reach 101 degrees on Saturday and 102 degrees on Sunday.
A helicopter drops water on the park fire near Butte Meadows on Tuesday.
(Nic Coury/Associated Press)
As of Friday morning, the Park Fire had burned 397,629 acres and destroyed 542 structures, according to Cal Fire.
The flames spread quickly through Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties, fueled by thick, dry vegetation parched by this summer’s intense heat waves, fire officials said.
As of Friday morning, the fire was 24% under control.
But firefighters said they faced numerous challenges in their fight, including low humidity, the possibility of erratic winds and steep topography that made radio communication between crews on the ground difficult.
Evans said a risk of thunderstorms this weekend raised concerns that lightning could spark fires in areas already extinguished by firefighters.
The storms are also expected to bring erratic winds, making the fire’s progress and behavior difficult to anticipate, Evans said.
According to Cal Fire, crews are spread across 200 miles of active fire front.
Andrea Blaylock stands amid the charred remains of her home near Forest Ranch, California, which was destroyed by the Park Fire on Tuesday.
(Nic Coury/Associated Press)
Cal Fire also focused its attention on protecting Lassen Volcanic National Park, northeast of the fire. Crews built a direct line north of Howard Creek and installed a secondary line through the park, from Viola Mineral Road to Highway 89, to prevent the flames from spreading deep into the forest.
California is infamous for its destructive wildfires. This year has been one of the worst, with more than 4,700 individual fires burning more than 300,000 acres across the state.
The park fire, believed to have been started by a man seen pushing a burning car into a ravine, is by far the largest so far.
In Kern and Tulare counties, the Lightning Complex Fire has burned more than 91,000 acres since it started July 13.
In Santa Barbara County, the Lake Fire, which burned more than 35,000 acres Friday, was 95 percent contained. The Hill Fire, in Humboldt and Trinity counties, has burned more than 6,000 acres.
In Riverside County, the Nixon Fire had burned 5,222 acres and was 21% contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
