Park Fire Now 100% Contained After Burning 429,000 Acres Across Northern California

Just over two months after it ignited, the massive Park Fire in Chico is now 100% contained, fire officials have confirmed. The blaze, which broke out on July 24 in Upper Bidwell Park, burned more than 429,000 acres, making it the fourth-largest wildfire in California’s history.

As the containment was announced, the city of Chico shared some positive news: most of the trails in Upper Bidwell Park have been repaired and are now open to the public. This popular destination for hiking, mountain biking, picnicking, and swimming is slowly returning to normalcy.

Authorities arrested a man suspected of starting the fire just a day after it began. Witnesses reported seeing him push a burning car into a gully near Alligator Hole in Upper Bidwell Park, leading to the fire’s rapid spread.

The fire’s impact was devastating, destroying 709 buildings and damaging another 54, according to Cal Fire. At its peak, the fire forced evacuations in the town of Paradise—still recovering from the 2018 Camp Fire—as well as parts of Butte, Plumas, Shasta, and Tehama counties.

While the Park Fire is now fully contained, the scars it left behind will take time to heal.