Cooler temperatures and increased humidity could slow Park Fire, Cal Fire says

Cooler temperatures and heightened humidity overnight helped curb the spread of the Park Fire, allowing fire crews to build more containment lines in Tehama County.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the Park Fire had burned a total of 428,744 acres and destroyed 636 structures, according to Cal Fire. The wildfire’s containment has stayed at 34% since Monday morning.

The blaze is California’s biggest wildfire this year and the fourth-largest on state record.

Flames have swept through more than 376,000 acres in Tehama County, up about 1,000 acres since Friday morning. So far, the fire has scorched nearly 53,000 acres in Butte County and nearly 113,000 acres in Lassen National Forest. The wildfire has also affected areas in Plumas and Shasta counties.

During a Saturday morning operational briefing, Cal Fire officials said they expected an overall decrease in fire activity throughout the day as wetter, more humid conditions returned. A cooling trend that begins this weekend and extends into next week will help limit the Park Fire as temperatures dip below summer norms, according to a Cal Fire incident update.

Improved weather conditions will also help firefighters put out any hot spots that spring up along the fire perimeter Saturday. Cal Fire said helicopters and air tankers had been deployed along with crews on the ground to extinguish the fire.

Even though better weather trends will aid in stamping out some areas of the fire, flames continue to burn actively near the community of Mill Creek in Tehama County.

“The fire is burning in heavy, receptive fuel beds,” Cal Fire reported in an incident brief. “Crews are working around high heat and deep drainages.”

Southwest wind expected Sunday afternoon could also be adverse to holding fire lines. Gusts may reach up to 25 miles per hour and challenge fire suppression efforts, according to Cal Fire.

All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted in Butte County. Evacuation orders and warnings remained in parts of Tehama County and evacuation warnings were still in place for some areas in Shasta and Plumas counties.

The Park Fire was sparked in Butte County, just east of Chico in a suspected act of arson. The fire has now been burning for 18 days as of Saturday.