California blaze multiplies in size, forces thousands to evacuate

Speed of growth of California Park Fire prompts grim comparison’s with 2018 deadly Camp Fire, with ‘firenados’ spotted.

A California wildfire has rapidly expanded, forcing thousands of residents to flee in an area that was devastated by the state’s deadliest wildfire six years earlier.

The Park Fire continued to burn in northern California on Saturday, with hope that cooler weather could help calm its spread.

Still, as of late Friday, the blaze was “expanding 4,000 to 5,000 acres an hour, incident commander Billy See told a news conference, and was “zero percent” controlled.

“There’s a tremendous amount of fuel out there and it’s going to continue with this rapid pace,” See said.

A total of 4,000 people have evacuated the towns of Cohasset and Forest Ranch, plus an additional 400 from the small city of Chico.