Paradise, Calif., decimated by 2018 wildfire, under new evacuation warning

Paradise, Calif., decimated by a 2018 wildfire, is once again facing the threat of an active blaze, as the Park fire takes hold in northern California.

Paradise was one of several communities in Butte County, Calif., under a wildfire-related evacuation warning this weekend. The intense, sprawling nature of the wildfire has invoked references to the 2018 Camp fire, which killed 85 people and set 11,000 homes ablaze in nearby Paradise.

The Park fire exploded in size after starting Wednesday. It has now scorched more than 550 square miles — an area larger than Los Angeles. By Sunday afternoon, the fire was 12 percent contained.

A spokesperson at the Park fire headquarters, Jay Tracy, told The Associated Press (AP) that first responders were focused on confronting the fire head-on, rather than prioritizing saving lives and property. Tracy told the AP that about 3,400 firefighters and numerous helicopters and air tankers were working on putting out the fire Sunday.

“This fire is surprising a lot of people with its explosive growth,” Tracy said. “It is kind of unparalleled.”

The fire continued to grow to the west on Sunday, but Cal Fire operations section Chief Jeremy Pierce said that the southernmost part of the Park fire — the part closest to Paradise — was “looking really good,” the AP reported.

At least 66 structures have been destroyed by the Park fire and five others have been damaged, Tracy told the AP.

“Unfortunately, that number will probably go up,” Tracy said. “Each day that number has potential to grow — our teams obviously don’t do damage inspections when there is active fire in an area.”

The Park Fire in northern California was one of more than 100 wildfires in the United States burning on Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.