Largest US wildfire grows to over 600 square miles in California

Wildfires in California have risen to 5th most prominent in the State’s history, burning over 385,000 acres.

The largest wildfire in the United States has expanded to over 600 square miles, surpassing the size of Los Angeles, fire officials in California reported on Tuesday.

The blaze, known as the Park Fire, continues to rage in a wilderness area north of Sacramento, necessitating the efforts of thousands of firefighters.

Massive Firefighting Effort

More than 5,500 firefighters from California and other states are working tirelessly to combat the Park Fire, which is burning in the State’s Central Valley, about 90 miles north of Sacramento.

The fire has grown to 385,065 acres (155,830 hectares), making it the fifth-largest wildfire in California’s history.

Record-Breaking Blaze

The Park Fire has surpassed the size of the 2020 Creek Fire in Fresno County, which burned nearly 380,000 acres.

However, it remains smaller than California’s largest wildfire on record, the August Complex fire of 2020, which consumed over 1 million acres across seven counties in northern California.

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Challenging Conditions

Fueled by dry grass, brush, and timber, the Park Fire is fast-moving and challenging to control. Fire Capt. Dan Collins of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) noted the difficulty of accessing the fire.

“This fire has lots of fuel that is receptive to burning, and it’s hard to get to,” he said. “Our fire line is 260 miles around, that’s the size of three Lake Tahoes. It can take two to three hours to get personnel in there over the terrain.”

Weather Concerns

The weather forecast offers little relief, with only a slight chance of a stray thunderstorm on Tuesday, according to Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Afterward, no rain is expected, and the conditions will remain hot and extremely dry.

Temperatures are predicted to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8°C) on Wednesday, with highs potentially hovering around that level until the following Monday. Relative humidity is expected to drop to as low as 7%.

The combination of vast areas of dry fuel, challenging terrain, and extreme weather conditions continues to hinder firefighting efforts, making the Park Fire a significant concern for California officials and residents.