Written by Joseph Ax
(Reuters) – Thousands of firefighters battled a fast-growing wildfire in northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in 24 hours.
The Park fire has burned more than 350,000 hectares (141,640 acres) about 144 kilometers north of the state capital of Sacramento as of Saturday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
Cooler temperatures and more humid air are expected in the region, which may aid efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which is 10% contained as of Saturday evening. The fire destroyed 134 buildings, authorities said.
Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for many communities in several states, including a warning for Paradise, the town devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the country's history.
US President Joe Biden has been informed of the fire and has instructed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to fight it, said a White House official.
A man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly starting the Park Fire by pushing a burning car into a ravine on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire was one of the largest in the country, burning more than two million hectares, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
In Oregon, several fires were burning, including the Durkee fire, which has burned more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, authorities said.
A firefighter has died after a single-engine boat crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon, the US Forest Service said in a statement Friday.
