California Park Fire Balloons as West Coast Fires Spread
Park Fire is taken into custody,As Oregon fights a major fire, a man suspected of sparking California.
According to CalFire, the Park Fire in California has spread to around 125,00 acres and is only 3% contained. The Butte County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday afternoon that a suspect has been taken into custody after it was discovered that he had pushed a burning automobile 60 feet down a ravine, “spreading flames that caused the Park Fire.” In Butte County, where the state’s deadliest wildfire, the Camp Fire, killed over 80 people in 2018, the fire has prompted mandatory evacuations.
The Durkee Fire began on July 17 near the Oregon-Idaho state boundary, and it has burned an area larger than the city of Indianapolis. According to InciWeb, the fire has spread tens of thousands of acres since Sunday and is 20% contained as of Thursday afternoon due to high temperatures, severely dry vegetation, and strong winds.
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management reports that when the fire progressed, three individuals were hurt, two residences were burned, and twelve additional structures were damaged. Some residents have been urged to leave by officials. Governor Tina Kotek of Oregon said that several areas are without electricity and that the National Guard has sent resources to help.
Residents and visitors to the Albertan town of Jasper were forced to evacuate as flames encroached on the country’s largest national park from two directions, causing buildings to catch fire. According to officials, there have been noteworthy losses, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered federal assistance to fight the fire.
According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, witnesses saw a 42-year-old man, identified as Ronnie Dean Stout II, “pushing a car that was on fire into a gully near the Alligator Hole in upper Bidwell Park shortly before 3:00 p.m. yesterday.” “The car burned completely as it descended a 60-foot embankment, spreading flames that started the Park Fire.”
According to the DA, the individual was observed “calmly leaving the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area.”
Around two in the morning, Ramsey said, Stout was taken into custody at a Chico, California, mobile home park.
Ramsey noted that he had already been found guilty twice in California: once in 2001 for sexual conduct on a minor under the age of fourteen in Butte County, and again in 2002 for robbery with grave bodily injury in Kern County, for which he received a 20-year jail sentence. If convicted of a third felony in California, those with two prior strikes—convictions for severe or serious felonies—will face noticeably longer prison terms.
Although prison records were not readily accessible, CNN inquired about further details from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The DA’s office states that the suspect is being held without bond pending his arraignment, which is scheduled for Monday.
Ramsey stated that Stout will probably be charged with arson, though it is uncertain how much or if any other charges will be brought against him. According to the DA’s office, Stout will be given a public defense during his arraignment and has not hired an attorney.
The fire has grown due to temperatures in the triple digits and strong gusts of wind.
Overnight, the fire in Butte County spread to around 40,000 acres, an area about the size of Washington, DC, prompting some residents to be advised to evacuate. Since it began on Wednesday afternoon, the fire had burned an average of over 50 football fields every minute by Thursday morning. High wind gusts and temperatures in the triple digits have contributed to its growth.
CalFire reports that over 200 firefighters are on the scene battling the fire.
Fires in Oregon “scaled up quickly.”
Oregon has been the hardest struck by fires lately, with 31 major wildfires raging across the state, the largest of which is the Durkee Fire, which was started by lightning.
Since the start of the Durkee Fire, authorities in Baker County and Malheur County in eastern Oregon have ordered residents to evacuate the surrounding areas.
But as of Thursday afternoon, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media that all evacuation orders related to the Durkee Fire in Malheur County have been revoked. Regarding Baker County, the Sheriff’s Office of the county reports that many regions now have lower or no evacuation levels.
Traffic on Interstate 84 has been hampered by dense smoke from the fires, resulting in the freeway’s intermittent shutdown.
Kotek described the situation as “dynamic.”
Kotek stated in a news release that “the wildfires in Eastern Oregon have scaled up quickly.” “Over the region, there are strong, unpredictable gusts that could affect any flames. It’s not raining enough. Certain communities lack power.
