Fast-moving Park fire explodes in Butte County, forcing overnight evacuations

A wind-driven fire in Butte County exploded overnight, triggering evacuations as it ballooned to more than 45,000 acres.

The Park fire started about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday north of Chico in Bidwell Park and grew exponentially over the next few hours as it raced north parallel to Highway 99 and into Tehama County.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection listed the fire at 45,549 acres Thursday morning with 3% containment. Residents in northeast Chico and Forest Ranch were told to leave their homes in the middle of the night, according to posts on the Butte County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page.

Some small mountain areas — including the hamlet of Cohasset — are also under threat.

There are no reports of burned structures, Butte County said.

Rick Carhart, public information officer for Cal Fire, told the Chico Enterprise-Record late Wednesday that “a lot of crews” would be battling the fire through the night, with three night-capable helicopters helping battle the flames.

Carthart said crews "from all over Northern California" were helping in the firefight.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .