Fire crews in California have managed to contain a third of the state’s largest wildfire this year, thanks in part to cooler weather conditions. The Park Fire, which has scorched 627 square miles (1,623 square kilometers) since igniting on July 24, was just 30% contained as of Sunday.
The fire has been aided by cooler temperatures and increased humidity, providing firefighters with “a great opportunity to make some good advances” on the blaze in the Sierra Nevada foothills, according to Chris Vestal, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Park Fire is currently larger than the city of Los Angeles, which covers approximately 503 square miles (1,302 square kilometers. It continues to burn through rugged, inhospitable terrain with dense vegetation, making it difficult for firefighters to gain control over the blaze.
One of the main challenges faced by firefighters is the inability to use heavy machinery like bulldozers in the rugged landscape surrounding Lassen Volcanic National Park, which has been closed due to the threat posed by the fire. Vestal explained that human hand crews are needed to remove fuels from the area, but the steep and treacherous terrain makes this a slow and difficult process.
As of Sunday, at least 572 structures have been destroyed or damaged by the fire, with at least 2,700 people in Butte and Tehama Counties still under evacuation orders. Firefighters were able to deploy helicopters and other aircraft on Sunday to aid in the fight against the blaze, as temperatures reached above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius.
Despite the progress made so far, officials are still concerned about the potential impact of returning triple-digit temperatures on the fire’s growth. The fire in Northern California is just one of 85 large blazes currently burning across the western United States.
In addition to the Park Fire, other major fires are also being fought in Colorado, where three fires near heavily populated areas north and south of Denver have led to evacuations for many residents. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating one of these fires as arson.
Scientists have warned that extreme wildfires are becoming more common and destructive across the U.S. West and other parts of the world due to climate change and increasing drought severity. In Canada, a 24-year-old firefighter battling a blaze in Jasper National Park was tragically killed by a falling tree on Saturday.
