Crews work to save displaced families, pets amidst 368,000-acre Park Fire
CHICO, Calif. -- The Park Fire burning north of Chico has grown to be the biggest in California this year.
The Bay Area Air Quality District has issued an advisory, with air quality expected to be impacted by smoke from the fire Sunday and Monday.
It has now scorched more than 368,000 acres in Butte, Tehama, Shasta and Plumas Counties, and is 12% contained.
At least 134 structures, including homes, have been destroyed by the blaze, now the seventh largest fire recorded in California history in only a few days.
"You know, we felt it and all the people through here," Chico-area rancher John Russell told ABC News on Saturday as he looked out at the burnt landscape surrounding the 200-acre property, pointing to the fire line that firefighters cut with a bulldozer to save his barn and cattle.
He said he is still assessing the damage to his property and expressed surprise at the speed of the blaze, which authorities suspect was deliberately set on Wednesday afternoon. But having witnessed the 2018 Camp Fire that completely leveled the Butte County town of Paradise, Russell said he was not surprised by the devastation of the Park Fire.
"When you say, did you think it would ever happen, you better believe it," Russell said. "Anything can happen in this country at any time."
Paradise resident Jen Robbins said she lost everything in the Camp Fire and isn't sure if the new home she built in Paradise is still standing. She said she has PTSD from the 2018 blaze.
"The skies were looking kind of clearer above our side of town, but then things changed really quickly and the whole town, everything was black. And so we decided it was time to go," Robbins told ABC News of how rapidly the fire spread in her community, causing her to evacuate.
The rapid spread of the fire is being fueled by an abundance of vegetation and one of the hottest and driest summers on record in the area, officials said.
Temperatures in the area, which have been in the triple digits, have cooled slightly, with the high temperature in the Chico area forecast to hit 92 degrees on Sunday and 94 on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Winds have also died down in the area.
By the end of this week, temperatures are forecast to spike back into the 100s.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Butte and Tehama counties due to the Park Fire, as well as Plumas County, where the Gold Complex Fire, which started on July 22, has burned more than 3,000 acres and was 50% contained on Sunday.
"We are using every available tool to protect lives and property as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these challenging fires. Stay safe and remain alert for instructions from local authorities as dangerous fire weather conditions continue," Newsom said in his statement on Friday.
RELATED: Bay Area sending resources to battle Park Fire
Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, was arrested on suspicion of arson in the Park Fire after he allegedly pushed a burning car into a gully in Bidwell Park, near Chico, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey. Stout, who is being held without bail in the Butte County Jail, is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
"I don't know if I'd say I'm angry, but frustration and unnecessary, yes," Russell of learning the fire might have been set on purpose. "I know I'm being recorded, so I won't say obviously, I'll put it tactfully... Our cattle survived. We can go on. We can fix the rest. But truly, the real damage and sadness and anger would come from the people who have lost everything."
There are more than 3,700 personnel, 16 helicopters and 337 fire engines assigned just to the Park Fire, officials said.
Flames still roaring and winds whipping Sunday, firefighters were working to contain the massive Park Fire as thousands of people were forced from their homes.
"We're doing the best we can to safely get them back," said Cmdr. Billy See with California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Stories of survival
Susan Singleton and her husband fled their home just north of Chico, taking shelter in their vehicle with their seven dogs.
"Whatever we had can be replaced. But I wouldn't have left the animals at all," Singleton said.
Among the harrowing stories, a member of the Butte County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue Team saved the lives of a Rottweiler and her four puppies left stranded.
BCSO posted on Facebook that on Wednesday, a resident near Campbellville was evacuating when their truck became disabled. The resident ultimately had to make the decision to leave the truck behind, which included two adult dogs and their puppies.
The owner gave responders the location of the truck, but it was not immediately accessible due to the fire.
Then over the weekend, search and rescue team member Trevor Skaggs and BCSO pilot Conner Smith were finally able to reach the area in a BCSO helicopter. Once they landed, officials said Skaggs ran 1.5 miles toward the last known location of the dogs. There, he found the puppies and their mother tired and very thirsty -- but alive!
"Unfortunately, the puppies' father was found to have not survived," according to the Facebook post.
After giving the puppies and their mother some water and a few nibbles of a protein bar, Skaggs was able to get the pack to follow him the 1.5 miles back to the helicopter. They were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for the North Valley Animal Disaster Group.
"It's been a horrific few days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story," BCSO said on Facebook.
And Sonoma County firefighters also made a rescue.
"They saved several structures throughout the night and at one of the residents, they were able to save two dogs," said Battalion Chief Shawn Johnson. "They loaded them into their fire engine and transported them down to the sheriff's department personnel who immediately took them to an animal shelter."
"History tells us that most of these people left with very little to no notice, so they'll have whatever they have with them in their pockets and on their backs," said Rick Martinez.
Martinez is the executive director of the California Fire Foundation, the nonprofit so far doling out $150,000 in cash cards to people who've been displaced.
"People need food -- and sometimes there is food provided. The shelters are very good -- but there are other things they need, from diapers to formula, medication, or in some cases, gasoline to get to a friend's or relatives' home," Martinez said.
Meanwhile, crews are committed to continuing in the battle, keeping people and their pets safe.
"We'll do whatever we can to save their animals, houses and stuff like that," Johnson said.
Donate to Park Fire victims here.
KGO-TV staff contributed to this report
