Thousands of firefighting personnel have so far been able to prevent the Park Fire from spreading into Shasta County. As the fire reached foothills in Tehama County Friday and early Saturday, it was moving uphill and pushed by a tailwind, burning through as much as 5,000 acres per hour. Over the last couple of days the fire has been chewing through the Ishi Wilderness of Lassen National Forest. The northernmost point is about 3 miles from the Shasta County line.
When the Carr Fire raged in 2018 it took 5 weeks for it to grow to 230,000 acres. The Park Fire exceeded that size in less than 3 days. As of Monday morning it’s more than 368,000 acres with containment of 12%. Most of the burned acreage is in Tehama County. At least 109 structures have been destroyed, an estimate that was reduced, but that number will rise as damage assessment continues. Incredibly, no fatalities or injuries have been reported. There are more than 4,700 personnel working on the Park Fire.
Three years after the Dixie Fire devastated much of the eastern part of Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Park Fire’s approach to the western edge has prompted rangers to evacuate all visitors and close the entire park until further notice.
– Steve Gibson