FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California are getting a little help from the weather just hours after the blaze exploded, burning an area larger than Los Angeles. Authorities said Saturday that cooler temperatures and increased humidity could help slow the Park Fire, the largest blaze burning so far this year in California. The fire’s intensity and dramatic spread have led firefighters to draw unwanted comparisons to the monstrous Paradise Fire in 2018 that killed 85 people and burned 11,000 homes. Paradise was again close to the danger zone. The entire town was under an evacuation warning Saturday, one of several communities facing such warnings in Butte County.
Grant Douglas pauses during evacuation as the Park Fire jumps onto Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames leap over fire engines as the Park Fire leaps onto Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames consume a vehicle as the Park Fire rages in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A property is seen ablaze as the Park Fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California on July 26, 2024. A massive, fast-spreading and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle high winds and dangerously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) Fire trucks drive through flames tearing through Highway 36 as the Park Fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California, on July 26, 2024. A massive, fast-spreading and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle high winds and dangerously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) Andrea Douglas holds her head during the evacuation as the Park Fire leaps onto Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames burn as the Park Fire leaps across Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) TOPSHOT – A property is seen ablaze as the Park Fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California, on July 26, 2024. A massive, rapidly spreading and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle high winds and dangerously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) Firefighters watch from their buggy as the Park Fire jumps onto Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
