Cal Fire Arrests Man Accused of Using Burning Car to Start Giant Wildfire

A man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of starting a fire that forced thousands to flee their homes overnight because of a fast-moving fire in Northern California, a prosecutor said.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said in a statement that the man, whose name was not released, was jailed without bond on a Butte County judge’s warrant after he was identified as the person seen pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday afternoon.

The vehicle fire spread flames that caused the Park Fire, which exploded overnight from about 1,400 acres on Wednesday near Chico, to about 45,500 acres on Thursday in California’s Central Valley about 80 miles north of Sacramento.

Few details were immediately available. The 42-year-old suspect was detained by arson investigators with Cal Fire, along with police.

His arraignment is set for Monday, according to Ramsey, who did not specify what charges the man might face. A spokesperson for the Butte County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for more details.

The Park Fire was only 3% contained on Thursday morning, said Cal Fire spokesperson Dan Collins. No injuries were reported.

More than 4,000 people were evacuated in Butte County and the city of Chico, said Megan McMann, a spokesperson for the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.