Portions of Paradise and Magalia were put under evacuation warning late Thursday afternoon including the west side of Paradise from the Yellowstone Kelly Heritage Trail over.
The zones consisted of 1, 4, 9, 286, 361 and 363 as well as further north with zones 264 and 244 which make up Forest Ranch and Inskip. All zones to the west bordering these zones of these are under evacuation order.
The Park Fire blew up to more than 45,000 acres overnight, reaching Deer Creek to the north and coming to within 100 feet of Upper Park Road to the south while leading to multiple evacuation orders.
By noon Thursday, it had grown to 71,489 acres with just 3% containment; six hours later, it had grown nearly 50,000 more acres, reaching 120,312.
The majority of the growth is heading northward, far across the Tehama County line. While the winds have taken the fire to the north, Chico Fire Chief Steve Standridge said his department remains on alert.
“We’re always concerned the winds could shift and push it back into the park but I think the biggest concern is the potential for the wind to shift toward Forest Ranch,” Standridge said.
An announcement was made via the Watch Duty app Thursday morning that Highway 32 was closed toward Forest Ranch. At around 3:20 p.m., the United States Postal Service issued a press release saying that the Forest Ranch Post Office would close in response to evacuation orders in the area.
“Customers normally served by the Forest Ranch Post Office, can pick up their mail at the Chico Post Office located at 550 Vallombrosa Ave.” in Chico. Hours for pick-up are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the release said.
The release said those picking up their mail should have a photo ID on them.
Evacuation orders have been issued for 21 zones in Butte County, including the zone with the Chico Regional Airport (150).
Evacuation orders are also in place for Butte County and Chico zones 120, 140, 150, 250, 251, 252, 253, 260, 261, 262, 265, 266, 268, 269, 271, 272, 311, 312, 313, 317, 318.
Evacuation warnings are in place for zones 273, 314, 315 and 316. The Butte County evacuation zone map can be found at https://bit.ly/3idXzZ3.
The fire is buring into Tehama County as well. By 5 p.m., 11 evacuation zones in the county were under an evacuation order and another seven had been issued evacuation warnings.
Tehama County Sheriff’ Office Sgt. Ames Hoiughtby, who is in charge of emergency services, said Thursday morning that an estimate for the populated areas of Tehama County under the evacuation order would be about 150 people. The areas around the fire are sparsely populated.
He added, “With the extension of our evacuation warnings, we will probably cover 300 to 400 people within the zones to be safe.”
The Tehama County evacuation zone map can be found at https://bit.ly/3LD8gTS.
The fire broke out near Upper Park Road in Bidwell Park just before 3 p.m. Wednesday. Initially reported as five acres, the blaze — pushed by a south wind with gusts up to 24 miles per hour — had spread to 1,000 acres by 5:54 p.m. and was reported at 1,500 acres less than an hour later.
In the evening after the fire began, vehicles began to line up along Eaton Road as spectators watched the smoke rise from the hills. Cohasset Road was closed off at Eaton Road, only allowing for traffic heading into the city. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office blocked off Wildwood Avenue toward Bidwell Park.
By nightfall, flames all along the ridge were visible from the west side of the Sacramento Valley more than 30 miles away.
The Butte County Air Quality Management District issued a notice Thursday morning saying that the air quality throughout the county is expected to have a moderate amount of pollutants from the wildfire. Those who are more sensitive to smoke should avoid heavy exertion.
The National Weather Service said Thursday morning that critical fire weather conditions in the area were expected to continue through Friday due to gusty southerly winds and low humidity.
This story will be updated.
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