Park Fire reaches 34% containment but activity expected to increase

Firefighters got a jump on fighting the massive Park Fire over the weekend, increasing containment to 34% by Monday morning, but the blaze’s activity is expected to increase this week due to hot and dry weather.

The fire, which has been burning for close to two weeks, has charred 401,740 acres across Butte and Tehama counties as of 8:17 a.m. Monday. It is the fourth-largest wildfire in California’s recorded history.

Over the weekend, the spread of the fire slowed and was slightly helped by mild precipitation, said Chris Peterson, public information officer for Cal Fire.

“It was a bit calmer than we were anticipating,” Peterson said. “It spread some, but not nearly close to what it was before.”

The spread was limited to the eastern side of the fire overnight, according to Cal Fire, fueled by hotter weather, dryer conditions and increased wind speed.

“Today (Monday), it’s drying out,” Peterson said. “We had a little precipitation over the weekend, but not enough to add any moisture really to the fuels. We’re getting dryer and hotter.”

Smoky conditions were lower over the weekend but were expected to increase throughout the day Monday. This is compounded by expectations of temperatures into the 100s, low humidity levels and winds gusting up to 20 mph in the afternoon, according to CalFire.

“The weather is going to be the biggest factor here,” Peterson said. “Hot and dry conditions will allow for the fire to spread a little bit more.”

Fighting the fire has been further complicated by steep canyons that are difficult for firefighters to access, according to CalFire.

“Its really steep and rugged terrain out there,” Peterson said. “We have lines in place, and contingency lines, and backup lines for the contingencies.”

Of the burned area, 52,937 acres have been charred in Butte County and 348,803 acres have been burned in Tehama County. About 640 structures have been destroyed, and an additional 52 have been damaged, according to CalFire.

There were no new evacuations over the weekend, as the fire is primarily burning in open space, and some residents have been allowed to return to their homes, Peterson said.

“As people are allowed back into these areas, make sure they are driving safe and watching out, because we will have crews out there still,” he added.