Strong winds caused the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County to grow overnight to 100,000 acres, or 156 square miles, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported early Saturday.
Fifteen thousand structures remain threatened by the blaze, which ignited on Thursday. The fire has killed 9 people and destroyed 6,453 homes and 260 commercial buildings, making it the most destructive in California history.
While the size of the fire increased by 10,000 acres overnight, the containment of the fire increased as well. Early Saturday, the blaze was 20 percent contained, up from 5 percent on Friday night.
Low humidity and dry fuel continued to hamper firefighting efforts.
“The fire will continue to burn to the northwest, impacting the communities of Magalia and Paradise Pines,” Cal Fire said in a statement. “Fire crews will continue to conduct structure defense and perimeter control.”
Cal Fire said another flank of the fire continues to burn to the southwest, toward Big Bend and Berry Creek. High winds could cause the fire to hurdle Lake Oroville and threaten the city of Oroville. Cal Fire said it expected “extreme fire behavior with dangerous rates of spread” in that area.
“Moderate to extreme fire behavior are possible including spotting, wind driven runs, torching and crowning,” Cal Fire said.
Roads that remained closed include parts of highways 32, 70, 99 and 149, along with parts of Wheelock, Durham Pentz, Neal, Humboldt and Cherokee roads.
About 3,200 firefighters are battling the blaze, using 440 fire engines, 67 bulldozers and 23 helicopters.
President Trump, in a tweet Saturday, said with no supporting evidence that the cause of the fire was “gross mismanagement of the forests” and threatened to withhold federal funds from firefighters.
Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected]
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