The Park Fire has rapidly expanded, fueled by an unprecedented growth in grass across the region. Fire behavior analyst Kevin Osborne from the U.S. Forest Service attributes the fire’s intensity to winter conditions that created ideal conditions for grass to flourish, resulting in fuel loads 120% to 180% above normal.
The fire now threatens the western side of Lassen National Forest, an area largely untouched by the Dixie Fire. Osborne noted that limited access to the steep drainage terrain in this area, such as Deer, Mill, and Battle Creek, is hindering firefighting efforts. The rugged landscape, combined with strong winds produced through the drainages, poses a significant challenge to maintaining control lines.
At last evening’s public meeting in Chester, CAL FIRE’s incident management team reported that favorable weather conditions have temporarily slowed the fire’s progress on the northeastern flank, the side of the fire placing two Plumas County zones under evacuation warnings, allowing crews to attack the fire line directly. However, the steep cliffs of Mill Creek drainage between Highways 32 and 36 remain a critical area of concern. Crews have constructed dozer lines on both sides of the ridge to prevent the fire from spreading up and over the drainage. Thus, the fire should be concentrated into a smaller footprint should it make a run through the area.
Despite the fire’s rapid growth during its initial period, the Unified Operations Section Chief assured that the fire moving toward Plumas County is burning more slowly through timber and is not expected to reach the scale seen earlier in the incident.
Officials warn that the state’s exceptional grass growth this year could lead to a prolonged and intense fire season, with increased fire starts and rapid spread.
The Park Fire has burned 391,200 acres and is 18% contained. CAL FIRE, in unified command with the US Forest Service, emphasizes that this remains a full suppression effort aimed at minimizing the fire’s spread.
