A huge, fast-moving and rapidly growing wildfire in northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle gusty winds and perilously dry conditions, authorities said Friday.
Fueled by a crushing heatwave, the so-called Park Fire — the most intense wildfire to hit the state this summer — has rapidly devoured nearly 240,000 acres (97,000 hectares) as of Friday night and is continuing to gain strength.
“This fire has been rapidly expanding 4,000 to 5,000 acres an hour,” incident commander Billy See said at a press conference Friday evening.
For now it is “zero percent” controlled, despite the efforts of about 1,700 firefighters, according to state agency Cal Fire, with hundreds of additional resources ordered en route.
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.
The blaze so far has destroyed …