Thousands of firefighters have been deployed to battle a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California as of Saturday, July 27.
The blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span, rapidly growing and devastating the region.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 90 miles (144 km) north of the state capital city of Sacramento.
The fire has destroyed 134 structures, authorities said.
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Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest recorded in the state’s history.
An investigation by the Cal Fire and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office had concluded that the 2018 Camp Fire was caused by a faulty electrical transmission line owned by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The area burned for 17 days, finally being contained on November 25, 2018.
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A White House official said U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the current situation, and has directed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to contain the blaze.
A man was arrested on July 25 (Thursday) on suspicion that he started the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car into a gully the previous afternoon.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the fire was the largest of dozens of active blazes across the country that have already burned more than 2 million acres of land.
A firefighter died after a single-engine tanker crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement on Friday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
