Police capture suspect who allegedly started biggest California wildfire of the year

Law enforcement arrested the man accused of deliberately starting a northern California wildfire that destroyed thousands of acres.

The "Park Fire" erupted Wednesday outside Chico, California, destroying over 71,000 acres and prompting evacuations of more than 3,500 people across Butte and Tehama counties.

Early Thursday morning, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection arson investigators arrested a 42-year-old Chico man in connection to the fire. According to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney, the man, who was not named, “was seen pushing a car that was on fire into a gully” and was later observed “calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens” fleeing the fire.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey said the burning car spread the flames that caused the fire.

Homeland Security said roughly 1,100 homes within Butte County are threatened by the fire, and the San Francisco Chronicle reported that at least five homes have been destroyed by flames. According to Cal Fire, 1,153 personnel are fighting the blaze.

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Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has secured a fire management assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the fire.

The Chico resident who allegedly sparked California’s biggest wildfire of the year remains unidentified. The suspect is being held without bail at the Butte County Jail, where he is set to be arraigned Monday.