Man started California wildfire by pushing burning car into gully, prosecutor says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A burning house is seen as the Park Fire burns in Cohasset Road near Chico, California on July 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
A man was arrested on July 25 on suspicion of starting a wildfire that forced thousands to flee their homes
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said in a statement that the man, Ronnie Dean Stout II, was jailed without bond on a Butte County judge’s warrant after he was identified as the person seen pushing a flaming car into a gully on the afternoon of July 24.
The vehicle spread flames that caused what is being called the Park Fire, which exploded overnight from about 567ha on July 24 near Chico, California, to about 50,585ha on the afternoon of July 25 in northern California, about 130km north of the state capital Sacramento.
The 42-year-old suspect was detained by arson investigators with the state California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, along with police.
His arraignment is set for July 29, according to Mr Ramsey, who did not specify what type of arson charge the man might face. A spokesperson for the Butte County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for more details.
The Park Fire was only 3 per cent contained on the afternoon of July 25 and the largest in the state so far in 2024, Cal Fire said. No injuries were reported.
More than 4,000 people were evacuated in Butte County and the city of Chico, said Ms Megan McMann, a spokesperson for the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
The largest fire now burning in the United States is Oregon’s Durkee Fire, which has burned at least 108,455ha, threatened multiple small towns, scorched ranch land and killed cattle by the hundreds, local media reported.
High winds, with gusts of 97kmh, along with lightning strikes on July 24 and overnight could fan the flames, said Mr Marc Chenard, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
The fire, about 160km north-west of Boise, Idaho, was 20 per cent contained on the afternoon of July 25. More wind was forecast and lightning is possible.
A burning house is seen as Park Fire burns along Cohasset Road near Chico, California, on July 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“There is zero per cent chance of rain in the forecast for the region,” Mr Chenard said.
Smoke from fires in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest is blamed for hazy skies and unhealthy air from the Rocky Mountains to Chicago, weather reports said.
Denver had the worst air quality in the US and ranked the 22nd worst in the world, according to IQAir, a group that tracks air pollution across the globe.
The air could be clearing later on July 25 as a high pressure ridge rolls in, bringing clearer skies, according to weather reports.
Scientists and environmental advocates have long called for global leaders to phase out and end the reliance on fossil fuels to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, including worsening wildfires. REUTERS
