VIDEO — Officials: Ex-Convict Started Ongoing 307K-Acre Fire in California

The Park Fire is taking a toll on Northern California, as it is now one of the biggest wildfires in the state’s history.

The fire that is burning near Chico has resulted in evacuations in four counties. Officials with CAL Fire estimate it has burned more than 307,000 acres as of Saturday, Fox Weather reported:

The outlet continued:

At least 134 homes and structures have been damaged or destroyed and another 1,200 are threatened, fire officials said. Over 50 community zones are now under evacuation warnings across 4 counties, spanning more than 4,400 people.

“The Park Fire continued to burn aggressively due to steep terrain and winds,” CAL Fire officials wrote in their Friday night update. “Damage inspection teams are working to identify structures that have been damaged or destroyed.”

In a social media post on Friday, CAL fire chief Joe Tyler shared video footage of the Park Fire.

“Take a moment to watch this powerful video and consider how you and your family are prepared for the threat of wildfire,” he wrote:

As of early Saturday, there were no reports of deaths. However, two individuals suffered minor injuries but received treatment. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has declared an emergency, an action that allows more state resources to help put out the blaze, per the Fox Weather article.

Almost 2,500 firefighters were working to quell the blaze, the outlet said:

According to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, a man from Chico allegedly started the fire by pushing a car that was on fire into a gully in Bidwell Park on Wednesday afternoon, KCRA reported Friday.

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Ronnie Dean Stout II, has been arrested. The KCRA article also noted:

Stout has two previous “strike” felony convictions, the DA’s office said. In 2001, he was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Butte County. In 2002, he was convicted of robbery with great bodily injury in Kern County. After the second conviction, he was sentenced to the state prison for 20 years.

He was later arrested for a DUI in 2020.

The biggest fire in California during 2023 was the Smith River Complex Fire in Del Norte, which affected more than 95,000 acres, according to KCRA.