Park Fire Now Eighth-Largest In California History, More Than 300K Acres Burned – Update

SUNDAY UPDATE: The Park fire in Northern California has now burned more than 350,000 acres.

The fire was 12% contained by Sunday morning, with 4,000 firefighters and other personnel trying to stop it, Cal Fire said. At least 66 structures have been destroyed and five others damaged.

Improved weather conditions helped firefighters make progress since Saturday, when it was zero percent contained.

EARLIER: Northern California’s Park Fire is now the eighth-largest wildfire in California history at 307,368 acres (480 square miles).

The fire has scorched an area about the size of Los Angeles. It is one of several blazes in the western United States and Canada burning amid dry, hot and windy conditions.

The Park Fire is the largest blaze so far this year in California.

Meanwhile, Santa Barbara’s Lake Fire is 90% contained, authorities report. That blaze reached 38,664 acres in size as of July 26, after starting Friday, July 5. Lake Fire response efforts have shifted from fire suppression to suppression repairs.

The Park Fire is still growing.

“There’s a tremendous amount of fuel out there and it’s going to continue with this rapid pace,” Cal Fire incident commander Billy See said at a briefing. He said the fire was advancing up to 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) an hour on Friday afternoon.

More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) were burning in the U.S. on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The AP contributed to this report.