The Park Fire started just before 3 pm on Wednesday, July 24 by Alligator Hole, in upper Bidwell Park in Chico, Butte County. Officials are calling the Park fire one of the biggest fires in California’s history.
The Park fire has reached 307,368 Acres in two counties Butte County and Tehama County, Butte estimated 52,190 acres have burned, and in Tehama County, 255,178 acres have burned. Firefighters held a 3% containment for the first few days, Cal-Fire has reported it has been downgraded to 0% containment, as they have also issued more evacuation orders and warnings for many other zones in the area.
Paradise and Magalia have been put under evacuation orders and warnings, prompting fears of the 2018 Camp fire in the same area that devastated Paradise and displaced many.
According to the CAL-FIRE website, the resources deployed to fight the Park fire are:
- 16 Helicopters
- 231 Engines
- 116 Dozers
- 58 Water Tenders
- 61 Crews
- 2,484 total Personnel
Road closures in the area are as follows:
- Route 32 at the junction with State Route 36 in Tehama County and at Bruce Road in Butte County
- Cohasset Rd. at Rock Creek, Upper Park Rd. at Wildwood
- Keefer & Hicks
- Hicks & Oasis
- Forks of the Butte Bridge
- 32 & Yosemite (Eastbound only)
- 99 & Meridian
- 32 & Upper Humboldt
- Meridian/Butte Tehama Line
- Cohasset/Eaton
Evacuation orders have been issued for thousands of people, with many more in Evacuation warnings as far as Paradise and Magalia.
Evacuation Orders:
- DLS-66-B
- BUT-CH-120
- BUT-CH-149
- BUT-CH-150
- BUT-BM-235
- BUT-BM-236
- BUT-BM-237
- BUT-INS-244
- BUT-COH-250
- BUT-COH-251
- BUT-COH-252
- BUT-COH-253
- BUT-FR-260
- BUT-FR-261
- BUT-FR-262
- BUT-FR-263
- BUT-FR-264
- BUT-FR-265
- BUT-FR-266
- BUT-FR-267
- BUT-FR-268
- BUT-FR-269
- BUT-FR-270
- BUT-FR-271
- BUT-FR-272
- BUT-FR-273
- BUT-CNE-317
- PCK-468
- PCK-474
- PCK-476
- PLU-040
- PSR-478
- PSR-480
- PSR-482
- TEH-470
- TEH-496-B
- TEH-498-B
- TEH-500
- TEH-694-B
- TEH-696-A
- TEH-696-B
- TEH-720-B
- TEH-726
- TEH-728
- TEH-732
- TEH-734
- TEH-736
- TEH-852
- TEH-854
- TEH-856
- TEH-858
- TEH-882
- TEH-882-A
- TEH-882-B
Evacuation warnings are:
- BUT-TOP-01
- BUT-TOP-04
- BUT-TOP-09
- BUT-BM-235
- BUT-BM-236
- BUT-BM-237
- BUT-PHI-240
- BUT-PHI-241
- BUT-PHI-241-A
- BUT-INS-244
- BUT-INS-245
- BUT-MA-282
- BUT-MA-285
- BUT-MA-286
- BUT-STI-299
- BUT-CNE-311
- BUT-CNE-312
- BUT-CNE-313
- BUT-CNE-314
- BUT-CNE-315
- BUT-CNE-316
- BUT-CNE-318
- BUT-CSE-361
- BUT-CSE-363
- DLS-444
- DLS-446
- DLS-462
- MAN-410
- MAN-412
- MAN-414
- MAN-416
- MAN-418
- MAN-420
- MAN-422
- MAN-424
- MAN-426
- MAN-428
- MAN-5000
- MAN-5010
- MAN-5020
- MAN-5030
- MAN-5040
- MAN-5050
- MAN-5060
- SHI-5070-A
- TEH-448
- TEH-408
- TEH-694
- TEH-694-A
- TEH-730
- TEH-840
- TEH-850-A
An arrest has been made in connection with what Officials are calling arson, when witnesses saw a man matching the description of Ronnie Stout II 42 of Chico, Ca who pushed a burning car down a ravine by Alligator Hole in upper Bidwell Park, and calmly walk away while blending in with the crowd and escaping the scene, and later being arrested at his home in a mobile park. Ronnie Stout II has two prior strikes in the early 2000s for child molestation and robbery with great bodily injury.
He has been booked in the Butte County Jail on No Bail; his arraignment has been set for Monday.
Many of the locals are comparing this fire to the 2018 Camp fire in Paradise, the evacuees are also some of the ones who had to be evacuated and lost their homes in that fire as well.
Some of the folks who live in area of Paradise and Magalia are skeptical of evacuating while others haven’t taken the chance to get out and stay with family and friends or motel/hotels. Looting seemed to be one common theme of why some didn’t want to evacuate.
“I’m not worried as of yet, we can see the smoke, but have lived in this area for 50 years and seen many fires but depending on the winds I’m staying here,” says Elvy a homeowner in Magalia.
“We got warnings on this side of town, but we aren’t so worried unless the winds shift, that can be a huge problem for us” says Rex a homeowner in Magalia, also adding that “I learned with the last fire I spent three days in a hotel, and a couple of other days at a friends house before I could get back to my house which I luckily didn’t lose in the fire like so many others, in that fire in Paradise.” Also telling us that there’s a lot of panic in the community up here due to the Camp fire.
Elijah whose family has a ranch in Chico told us that his family got out safely with the cows and other animals. “when we got on Meridian it was like looking at hell” while sharing “ I think a lot of people around here are traumatized when it comes to fires, back in 2018 in the Camp fire it was like reigning hell, and most of the ones around here where there then and seeing this must bring back those memories.”
A “firenado” fire tornado has been captured on video with the Park Fire.
Remember if you’re in an Evacuation zone it’s important you do so, take your valuables and everything else can be replaced but a life cannot be.
Stay tuned with the Roadrunner, Local and National News for more information on the Park Fire.
