The largest wildfire to break out in the West this summer continued its explosive growth Friday morning as emergency responders in northern California struggled to gain control of the blaze, which has put thousands of residents under evacuation orders and has destroyed homes.
The so-called Park Fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near the city of Chico and quickly swelled in size as it was fueled by hot weather, low humidity and strong wind gusts. As of Friday morning, the inferno had engulfed over 164,000 acres, an area larger than the city of Chicago.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey on Thursday announced the arrest of a local man accused of pushing his mother's flaming vehicle into a gully, sparking the largest fire that California has seen this year. Ronnie Stout, 42, of Chico, faces at least one charge of arson, though more charges could follow in the days ahead, Ramsey said.