The Park Fire in Northern California continued to grow Friday, closing in on 400,000 acres, and became the fourth largest wildfire in state history.
The fire, which has scorched more than 397,000 acres across four counties, is now 24% contained, according to Cal Fire. The blaze has destroyed 542 structures and damaged 50, including infrastructure, as of Friday morning.
Thousands of residents were forced to flee their homes after the fire ignited July 24 in Butte County, just east of Chico, then exploded over the following days.
The fire was caused by arson, authorities say, and a Chico man was arrested on suspicion of starting the blaze. Ronnie Dean Stout was taken into custody at his home on July 25 after a witness told authorities they saw him push a vehicle on fire into a gully, causing the flames to spread to nearby brush.
Stout is being held on no bail in Butte County jail.
Firefighters are preparing for treacherous conditions entering the weekend when expected thunderstorms may unleash fire-starting lightning and erratic winds that could erode progress made over the past week.
Local
Weather, fuels and terrain will pose challenges for the nearly 6,400 firefighters battling the largest wildfire in the state this year.
On Thursday, a local strike team from Bay Area agencies were among additional agencies deployed to the Park Fire. Firefighters from South San Francisco Fire Department and Menlo Park Fire Protection District were headed to the scene to help battle the massive blaze.
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For information on road closures, evacuation zones, evacuation centers and other details, visit the Cal Fire website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
