Man accused of starting California's largest wildfire of the year is arrested

[Bundbuster]

Suspect allegedly pushed burning car into gully which started Park fire as other fires scorch Pacific north-west

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/25/wildfires-west-coast-canada

The flames have since exploded into what is now the Park fire, which has burned more than 71,000 acres (28,733 hectares) near the city of Chico. Evacuations were ordered in Butte and Tehama counties, with the blaze only 3% contained early on Thursday.

The blaze has stirred up a sense of trauma for residents, who have lived through several destructive and deadly fire seasons in recent years. The 2018 Camp fire that destroyed the nearby town of Paradise remains one of the most deadly in US history.

The US National Interagency Fire Center said in a report on Wednesday that 84 uncontained large fires were burning across the country. In a statement, the center said that many of the wildfires in the north-west were exhibiting “extreme fire behavior”, and that evacuation orders were in effect as of Wednesday on 15 fires including in parts of California, the Northern Rockies and the Great Basin, the center said, with more than 21,000 wildland firefighters across the country working on managing the flames.

In San Diego county, evacuation orders were in effect on Wednesday night after a wildfire began to spread fast near the San Diego and Riverside county line. And in many of the areas of the country affected by the wildfires, including parts of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, air quality alerts and advisories were in effect due to wildfire smoke.