California firefighters make progress as wildfires rage across western US

Firefighters made progress on Sunday and were helped by improved weather in their battle against the forest fires across a wide swath of land, leaving a trail of damage across the western United States. But further evacuations and more resources were still needed as thousands of personnel battled the blazes.

The so-called Park Fire, the largest in California this year, was one of more than 100 fires burning across the United States on Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Some were triggered by weather events, as climate change increases the frequency of lightning strikes while the western United States experiences very dry conditions and scorching heat.

By Sunday, the Park Fire had burned an area larger than Los Angeles, darkened the sky with smoke and occupied thousands of firefighters. The blaze covered more than 562 square miles (1,455 square kilometers) of inland Northern California.

Millions of people were under air quality alerts Sunday in the northwestern United States and western Canada.

The Park Fire began Wednesday when authorities say a man pushed a burning car into a ravine in Chico before fleeing. The man accused of setting the fire was arrested Thursday and was due in court Monday.

Firefighters increased the contained perimeter to 12% on Saturday, with the help of a lower temperature and an increase in humidityaccording to authorities.

There were also hot spots in eastern Oregon and eastern Idaho, where authorities were assessing damage from a group of fires designated Gwen, which on Sunday affected about 43 square miles (111 square kilometers).

In California, Paradise and other towns in Butte County were under evacuation alerts Sunday. However, the situation was favorable on the southernmost front of the fire near Paradise, Jeremy Pierce, a section chief with Cal Fire, the state’s fire agency, said midday.

Authorities did not expect the fire to move any closer to Chico, a city of about 100,000 people west of Paradise, and crews plan to spend the next three days extinguishing hot spots and removing hazardous materials, Pierce said.

After several days of prioritizing protecting lives and property at risk, the strategy now is to confront the flames head on, Jay Tracy, a spokesman for the center formed to fight the Park Fire, told The Associated Press in a phone call Sunday.

In Southern California, about 2,000 people have been ordered to evacuate because of a wildfire in Sequoia National Park. The blaze, fueled by the flames, was moving rapidly through dry vegetation and had scorched more than 60 square miles (155 square kilometers) in four days, said Andrew Freeborn of the Kern County Fire Department.

No deaths have been reported in the Park and Borel fires, although some people were increasing the risk to everyone by ignoring evacuation orders, Freeborn said.

“When people try to ignore orders and then call for rescue, it takes firefighters away from the task of fighting the fires,” he said. “This fire is moving at such a pace and with such intensity that people should not think they can wait until the last minute. They need to get out of the way.”

The mining town of Havilah and other towns had been “heavily impacted” by the fires, but it was too early to count burned homes, Freeborn said.

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