Here is a really rough map of where the Park Fire might be at midnight, 7/24/2024. Red lines are camera azimuths, where heat was apparent. Crosses in the red lines are potential places the fire has reached. The red, yellow, and orange squares are satellite heat detections, and the blue polygon is Cal Fire’s (6,000 acre) evening intel flight.
A co-worker, driving south on Highway 99, at midnight, reports the Park Fire is as far north as the Vina Helitack base, and backing down to the Valley. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Park Fire is mapped at over 40,000 acres once we get some good map data.
I got a text this afternoon that Bidwell Park was on fire. I had to drop what I was doing – repairing a map plotter – and head out to see it. I’ve been working for the Chico Parks Department for the past several years on fuels and fire management-related topics, and seeing fire in real time is something I can’t miss if I’m around.
I stopped on my way to pick up my son, Ezra, grabbed a camera, and we headed out to Upper Bidwell Park.
It was quite the show, with helicopters drafting out of Horseshoe Lake, and 6 air tankers running laps on the flanks of the fire as it burned vigorously to the NW. It was about 105 degrees out, and breezy. I did a couple livestreams, and Ezra marveled at the spectacle. He has been around a lot of prescribed fire, but not a lot of suppression.
After about 45 minutes, it was clear that the real action was on the other side of the fire, so we drove up to the Chico Airport and posted up at my workshop, where we had a great view of the fire burning north toward Richardson Springs. The roads were choked with spectators, and there was a traffic backup as a sweaty man scurried around in the middle of a busy four-lane road, picking up papers as they scattered in the wind.
I had a fire radio and we were listening to the air-air channels and command channel, and I was able to catch a map description of the head of the fire and make some basic calculations of how fast the fire was spreading. It looked to be aimed straight for the historic hotel at Richardson Springs.
At about 5pm, it was clear to me that the fire was soon going to impact Cohasset Road – the only paved escape off of Cohasset Ridge, where hundreds of people live.
We watched the fire building, and then went home for awhile. There was a steady stream of cars and trucks pulling campers. At about 7:30 we went up on our roof, in the center of Chico, and saw an enormous column building over the NW end of the fire.
I headed out with rest of the family to the edge of town, and we sat there thru sunset, watching the fire burn down toward the Valley. It was quiet except for the wind, occasional jet airtanker overhead, and murmurs of the dozens of people who had come to the edge of town to watch the fire.
My younger son shot pictures of the backing fire and torching trees, and Erika recorded me doing a livestream (sorry for windy audio…)
We decided to drive up Highway 32 to get eyes on the NE corner of the fire, but had to turn around because the car battery was getting super-low. There was a steady stream of people bailing out of Forest Ranch, too.
The fire was pushing up an enormous column at 9pm. I have rarely seen this happen after dark.
It was 96 degrees as we drove home at 10pm. Syrupy air.
We’ve all been waiting for this fire to happen for a long time. A lot of this area hasn’t burned for many decades. Farther up Musty Buck Ridge hasn’t burned for 25 years. The foothills will be fine for it, but I worry we are may lose a lot of the timber on Cohasset Ridge, and potentially, a lot of homes, as well. I hope the forecast for calmer weather helps us wrangle this fire. Without a break from the hot, dry weather, the terrain and fuels stacks some fierce odds against the firefight.
Here are photos from Lookout correspondent Lyle Johnson, of the fire approaching Cohasset Road at dusk.
