CHICO — The all-too-familiar sounds of simmering hotspots, cracking tree branches and distant chainsaws echoed through the canyon around Cohasset Road on Thursday morning after the Park Fire swept through the night before, turning the once yellow hillsides black and white with ash.
Heading quickly north, the Park Fire that started near upper Bidwell Park in Chico grew tens of thousands of acres between Wednesday night and Thursday morning with the tally coming out to 71,489 acres Thursday afternoon, making it the largest wildfire in California this year. By 2 p.m. Thursday, the blaze had reached only 3% containment.
Portions of Paradise and Magalia were put under evacuation warning late Thursday afternoon including the west side of Paradise from the Yellowstone Kelly Heritage Trail over.
The zones consisted of 1, 4, 9, 286, 361 and 363 as well as further north with zones 264 and 244 which make up Forest Ranch and Inskip. All zones to the west bordering these zones of these are under evacuation order.
Earlier evacuation orders were issued for 21 zones in Butte County, including the zone with the Chico Regional Airport (150).
Evacuation orders were also in place Thursday for Butte County and Chico zones 120, 140, 150, 250, 251, 252, 253, 260, 261, 262, 265, 266, 268, 269, 271, 272, 311, 312, 313, 317, 318.
Evacuation warnings were in place Thursday for zones 273, 314, 315 and 316. The Butte County evacuation zone map can be found at https://bit.ly/3idXzZ3.
Chico stays on alert
The majority of the growth was heading northward Thursday afternoon, far across the Tehama County line. While the winds have taken the fire to the north, Chico Fire Chief Steve Standridge said his department remains on alert.
“We’re always concerned the winds could shift and push it back into the park but I think the biggest concern is the potential for the wind to shift toward Forest Ranch,” Standridge said.
Burn scar on Cohasset Road reached from Keefer Road to Sigler Lane, just south of the community of Cohasset. A majority of Cohasset north of Sigler lane was untouched Thursday including the area around Cohasset Store. A complete damage assessment has not yet been reported by Cal Fire-Butte County.
On Rock Creek Road, the fire weaved through and around homes, dipping into a shallow ravine and burning most of the trees. Mailboxes and waste bins burned and melted into piles outside of homes. At least six homes burned along the road with the fire missing others.
Fire engines and PG&E trucks drove in and out of neighborhoods, occasionally stopping to assess damage and deal with hazardous trees. Occasionally, residents returned to their homes to check on their property and any damages caused by the fire. Most didn’t want to talk about the fire but thanked firefighters and praised their work.
Much of the burn scar was south of the community of Cohasset, though the area still remained under strict evacuation orders. In and around the Cohasset area, semi-trucks loaded and offloaded dozers to create more fire lines. Up a hill off of Cohasset Road, one dozer sat burnt near a destroyed truck, downed power lines and even an old school bus that had caught on fire and burned.
Roadways remain blocked
In Chico, police and city workers had blocked off some roadways including Wildwood Avenue toward upper Bidwell Park and Cohasset Road at Eaton Road. Spectators pulled off to the side and took photos and videos of the massive smoke cloud rising over the hills.
An announcement was made via the Watch Duty app Thursday morning that Highway 32 was closed toward Forest Ranch. At around 3:20 p.m., the United States Postal Service issued a press release saying that the Forest Ranch Post Office would close in response to evacuation orders in the area.
“Customers normally served by the Forest Ranch Post Office, can pick up their mail at the Chico Post Office located at 550 Vallombrosa Ave.” in Chico. Hours for pick-up are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the release said.
The release said those picking up their mail should have a photo ID on them.
YWAM staffers safe
At least one home burned along Richardson Springs Road, though the Youth With A Mission retreat and the end of the road remained intact. Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, issued a statement Thursday.
“All YWAM staff members are safe and have found temporary accommodations, but are experiencing shock and grief due to the precarious situation. Understandably, there are many questions and uncertainties,” the release said.
By 9:45 a.m., 10 evacuation zones in Tehama County were under an evacuation order and another seven had been issued evacuation warnings.
Tehama County Sheriff’ Office Sgt. Ames Hoiughtby, who is in charge of emergency services, said Thursday morning that an estimate for the populated areas of Tehama County under the evacuation order would be about 150 people. The areas around the fire are sparsely populated.
He added, “With the extension of our evacuation warnings, we will probably cover 300 to 400 people within the zones to be safe.”
The Tehama County evacuation zone map can be found at https://bit.ly/3LD8gTS.
In the evening after the fire began, vehicles began to line up along Eaton Road as spectators watched the smoke rise from the hills. Cohasset Road was closed off at Eaton Road, only allowing for traffic heading into the city. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office blocked off Wildwood Avenue toward Bidwell Park.
By nightfall, flames all along the ridge were visible from the west side of the Sacramento Valley more than 30 miles away.
The Butte County Air Quality Management District issued a notice Thursday morning saying that the air quality throughout the county is expected to have a moderate amount of pollutants from the wildfire. Those who are more sensitive to smoke should avoid heavy exertion.
The National Weather Service said Thursday morning that critical fire weather conditions in the area were expected to continue through Friday due to gusty southerly winds and low humidity.
Mike Wolcott, Dan Reidel and Rick Silva contributed to this report.
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