Park Fire Explodes to 45,000 Acres in Chico’s Bidwell Park

The Park Fire, which ignited in the Upper Bidwell Park area near Chico, has expanded to 45,549 acres and prompted extended evacuations into neighboring Tehama County, according to Cal Fire.

The fire began in the popular Bidwell Park on Wednesday afternoon around 3 pm. As of Thursday morning, containment sits at 3%.

“Fire personnel are currently focusing on evacuations and structure defense while concurrently building direct containment lines utilizing bulldozers, fire crews and fire engines,” said CalFire in a statement. “More resources have been ordered and are inbound from various areas throughout Northern California.”

Mandatory evacuations were initially issued for several zones in Butte County, including 317, 318, 252, 253, 250, 251, 313, 312, 260, 262, 265, 266, 269, 268, 271, 261, 311, and 272. These areas stretch from the west side of Upper Bidwell Park up north to Cohasset and Forest Ranch and to the west and north side of Chico Regional Airport. Evacuation warnings are in place for zones 273, 311, 314, 315, and 316 on the west side of the airport.

In the City of Chico, evacuation orders include zones 120, 149, and 150.

Tehama County has added mandatory evacuations for zones 736, 854, 856, 858, 882 A, and 882 B. Evacuation warnings are issued for zones 726, 728, 732, 734, and 852.

A shelter for evacuees is set up at Neighborhood Church, 2801 Notre Dame Blvd. in Chico. Small animals can be sheltered at 2279 Del Oro in Oroville, while large animals are being accommodated at Camelot Equestrian Park, 1985 Clark Rd. in Oroville.

Butte County residents can view a live evacuation map here, and Tehama County residents can view a live evacuation map here.

In Butte County, Cohasset Road is closed at Rock Creek, and Upper Park Road is closed at Wildwood, as reported by Cal Fire.

Butte County has faced a series of wildfires this summer. The Thompson Fire in the Oroville area recently burned over 3,700 acres, leading to mass evacuations and destroying numerous structures. The Grubbs Fire, south of Palermo, also caused evacuations shortly after the Thompson Fire.

In mid-July, the Railbridge Fire burned 130 acres near Palermo, causing evacuations and property damage. Earlier in June, the Apache Fire scorched nearly 700 acres, and the Junes Fire burned nearly 1,100 acres, both also resulting in evacuations.

Authorities are urging residents to stay informed and follow evacuation orders to ensure safety.

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