On Thursday, authorities announced they had arrested 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II, a Chico resident, on suspicion of arson. Prosecutors said the man pushed a burning car into a gully, starting the fast-moving fire.
“It is maddening that we’re here again, and it is particularly maddening that this particular fire was caused by an individual,” Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said. “During this particular time of year, we are under a very high threat for fire.”
The Park fire was one of several burning in California:
- A fast-moving fire near Lake Elsinore on Thursday temporarily forced the evacuation of dozens of homes. The 145-acre Macy fire broke out in vegetation around 5:40 p.m. and was 60% contained as of Friday evening.
- The Flynn fire temporarily closed Interstate 580 in Altamont in Alameda County and burned more than 500 acres. It is 80% contained.
- In Contra Costa County, firefighters were battling a 200-acre blaze called the Point fire in the Bay Point community.
Sjolund, the fire chief in Butte County, said he’s hopeful an expected drop in temperatures this weekend could assist in fighting the Park fire and others across the region.
“It’s kind of a moving target with the way the weather patterns are coming in,” he said.
