California wildfire now fourth-largest in state history

4/8/2024 13:50

        More than 6,000 firefighters in California's Central Valley continued to battle the largest blaze in the U.S. on Saturday, which burned its way into the history books as the state's fourth-largest conflagration on record.
        
        There was barely a taste of rain on Saturday from thunderstorms that brought wind and rainfall of zero to one-tenth of an inch, forecasters said. The heat of 38 Celsius along with winds up to 25 mph or more in some spots, offered little relief to the firefighters trying to contain the Park Fire, scorching the wilderness terrain some 161 km north of Sacramento, the state capital.
        
        Blazes from the Park Fire, started by an alleged arsonist who pushed a flaming car down a 60-foot gully near Chico, California, on July 24, has since burned more than 162,200 hectares or more than 600 square miles, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.
        
        Officials said, the 42-year-old man arrested had not entered a plea as of Saturday, but was charged with arson and held without bail.