Firefighters battling to put out a park fire got a brief respite Friday morning thanks to low clouds and slightly cooler temperatures that could help slow the spread of the fourth-largest wildfire in state history.
But the break is expected to be short.
By midday, the 6,375 firefighters on the ground were expected to face temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, possible thunderstorms at night, and erratic winds that would hamper their mission to control the blaze.
Firefighters expect to face more of the same challenges over the weekend, with temperatures continuing to reach triple digits over the next few days and lightning during thunderstorms threatening to fuel fires.
“The main thing they’re worried about is weather changes,” said Capt. Jim Evans, a member of Cal Fire’s multi-agency team responsible for park fires.
Temperatures in the area are expected to reach 101 degrees and 102 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
A helicopter sprayed water on a park fire near Butte Meadows on Tuesday.
(Nick Curry/AP)
As of Friday morning, the Park Fire had burned 397,629 acres and destroyed 542 structures, according to Cal Fire.
Fire officials said the fires have spread rapidly across Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties as this summer’s intense heat wave scorched dense, dry vegetation.
As of Friday morning, the fire was 24% contained.
But fire officials said they faced multiple challenges in the battle, including low humidity, potentially erratic winds and steep terrain that made radio communications difficult for rescuers on the ground.
Evans said thunderstorms were possible this weekend, raising concerns that lightning strikes could spark fires in areas already extinguished by firefighters.
Thunderstorms are also expected to bring erratic winds, making the progress and behavior of fires difficult to predict, Evans said.
According to Cal Fire, crews were spread across a 200-mile fire front.
Andrea Blaylock stands among the charred remains of her home in the Forest Ranch neighborhood of California, which was destroyed in Tuesday’s Park Fire.
(Nick Curry/AP)
Cal Fire is also focusing some of its attention on protecting Lassen Volcanic National Park northeast of the fire. Crews built a direct line north of Howard Creek and installed a secondary line through the park from Viola Mineral Road to Highway 89 to prevent the flames from traveling deeper into the forest .
California is notorious for its devastating wildfire seasons. This year has been the worst yet, with more than 4,700 fires burning across the state and more than 772,000 acres burned.
The park fire is believed to have been started by a man pushing a burning car into a ravine and is the largest blaze to date.
In Kern and Tulare counties, the Lightning Complex fire has burned more than 91,000 acres since it was ignited on July 13.
In Santa Barbara County, Friday’s Lake Fire was 95% contained after burning more than 38,000 acres. Wildfires in Humboldt and Trinity counties have burned more than 7,200 acres.
In Riverside County, the Nickerson Fire has burned 5,222 acres and was 21% contained as of Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.
