California wildfire breaks out, becoming the largest wildfire in the United States

As the Park Fire continues to burn near Chico, California, firefighters watch as flames and smoke move through a valley in the Forest Ranch area of ​​Butte County.
photo: AFP/Josh Edelson

go through Joseph Akers, Reuters

Thousands of firefighters battled a rapidly spreading wildfire in Northern California on Saturday that more than doubled in size in 24 hours.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 144 kilometers north of the state capital, Sacramento, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Temperatures are expected to drop and humidity to rise in the region, which could help slow the spread of the fire, which remains out of control. Authorities say the blaze has destroyed 134 structures.

Multiple communities in multiple counties have been issued evacuation orders and warnings, including one for the town of Paradise, a victim of the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest fire in state history.

White House officials said U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fires and directed his team to do everything possible to support firefighting efforts.

A man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of pushing a burning car into a gully, sparking a park fire on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire is the largest of dozens burning across the country, burning more than 2 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Several fires are burning in Oregon, including the Dulkey Fire, which authorities say has burned more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state.

A firefighter died when a single-engine tanker truck crashed near the Cascade Fire in southeastern Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement Friday.

– Reuters