California’s largest wildfire so far this year and the seventh largest in state history expanded overnight as containment of the Park Fire that has ravaged two counties remained unchanged.
The confinement remains at 12%.
The fire continues to rage to the east in the Butte Meadows area of Butte County. Crews spent much of Sunday battling two spot fires, each about 100 acres, in that area. Officials said Monday that firefighters did a good job overnight of placing dozers and hand lines around the two spot fires.
Fire activity is also increasing along the west side of the fire, east of the town of Dairyville in Tehama County.
Assessment teams continue to go out into the field to assess and confirm damage. A report released Monday by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection listed 100 structures destroyed. The number of damaged structures was estimated at 5.
Meanwhile, the Chico man accused of starting the fire by pushing a burning car into a ravine in Upper Bidwell Park will be arraigned Monday afternoon in Butte County Superior Court.
Ronnie Stout was arrested early Thursday morning by Cal Fire and Butte County District Attorney investigators.
Readers, scroll down for the latest updates from Monday, July 29.
09:00: Weather conditions are expected to put firefighters to the test on Monday
Weekend weather conditions helped crews expand containment lines around the Park Fire.
But at a morning briefing Monday, firefighters were told the weather would change later Monday, which could spark more fires.
More: Park fire highlights impact of climate change on California
Southwest winds are expected to pick up in the afternoon, with gusts expected to exceed 20 miles per hour.
Firefighters were also reminded that the fire is being fueled by dense vegetation, particularly on the west side where there is an abundance of grass not seen in years. Additionally, there is volcanic rock on the west side of the fire, making it difficult to lay fire hoses and cut fire lines with bulldozers.
This article was originally published on Redding Record Searchlight: Park fire near Shasta County: Blaze spreads to nearly 370,000 acres
