Park Fire Explodes To Over 45,500 Acres In Butte County

The Park Fire that started in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park Wednesday afternoon has exploded in size, now more than 45,550 acres and prompting evacuation warnings as far away as Eastern Tehama County. Many air tankers and other resources from around Northern California are en route to stop the spread of that blaze, which is just 3% contained.

To the south of the Park Fire, the Pentz Fire has burned 40 acres with no containment off Durham Pentz Road. Crews report forward progress has been stopped.

In Northern Tehama County near the Cottonwood Truck Scales off Interstate 5, a fire burned around 59 acres with 20% containment. It stopped freeway traffic after it broke out at 2:20PM Wednesday afternoon.

Crews stopped a fire off Gas Point Road in Cottonwood at less than an acre.

A fire near Trinity Pines and Highway 36 in the Hayfork area has burned 8 acres.

-Steve Gibson