The Park Fire, a wildfire in Northern California spanning just over 400,000 acres, has rapidly become the fourth largest in the state’s history, prompting evacuations in four counties.
The fire, which officials say was started by arson, has grown in the past week as the western U.S. eyes what could be another potent wildfire season. A combination of strong vegetation growth due to heavy precipitation over the past few years, and high temperatures this summer could mean larger wildfires in the coming months.
These conditions all contributed to the magnitude of the Park Fire, which has already damaged more than 500 structures, and put at least 8,000 people under evacuation orders. For another sense of scale, the fire has grown so large that it’s visible from space and now covers more square footage than the entire city of Los Angeles.
The Park Fire follows numerous other large fires that have devastated the U.S. in recent years, including in Hawai‘i in 2023, California in 2021, and Montana in 20... Read more
