California wildfire explodes and becomes largest in US

By Joseph Machado

(Reuters) -Thousands of firefighters battled a rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour period.

The Park Fire burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 90 miles (144 km) north of the state capital of Sacramento on Saturday night, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. .

Cooler temperatures and moister air were expected in the region, potentially aiding efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was 10% contained as of Saturday night. The fire destroyed 134 structures, authorities said.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for several communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state’s history.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the fire and instructed his team to do everything possible to support firefighting efforts, a White House official said.

A man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of starting the park fire by pushing a burning car down an embankment Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was the largest of dozens of active fires across the country that have burned more than 2 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In Oregon, several fires have raged, including the Durkee Fire, which burned more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, officials said.

A firefighter died after a single-engine tanker truck crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement Friday.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)