California man arrested for allegedly starting Park Fire by pushing burning car into ravine

A man from California was arrested on Thursday for allegedly sparking the state's biggest bushfire this year by pushing a flaming car into a ditch, while other blazes are wreaking havoc across the Pacific Northwest.

The inferno he's accused of igniting blew up into what's now dubbed the Park Fire, scorching over 70 square miles (180 square kilometers) near Chico town.

Evacuation orders were slapped on Butte and Tehama counties, with the fire only three percent under control as of early Thursday.

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Police in California haven't disclosed the identity of the man.

While folks in California are being told to evacuate, some Oregonians got the all-clear to head back after a thunderstorm brought a bit of much-needed rain but also risky lightning strikes to the US's largest active wildfire. Meanwhile, a rapid blaze has forced thousands to do one from a town in Canada.

Over in eastern Oregon, the city of Huntington, home to about 500, saw evacuation orders lifted on Thursday thanks to a severe thunderstorm the previous night that saw rain and cooler air across nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers) torched by the Durkee Fire the country's inferno and another nearby fire.

Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash reckoned the downpour was a "godsend," but warned locals to stay on their toes, ready to leave at a second's notice.

The storm's lightning, with gusts up to 75 mph, has officials on high alert for new wildfires. The National Weather Service in Boise reported over 2,800 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in southeast Oregon and Idaho on Wednesday.

Idaho's U. S. Forest Service said that the lightning along the Oregon-Idaho border sparked 15 new fires overnight, as per KBOI-TV, though some were quickly extinguished. The Pacific Northwest has seen nearly 1 million acres burn this summer, with Oregon battling 34 large fires, primarily in its eastern region.

The Pacific Northwest and western Canada are experiencing more frequent lightning-induced wildfires due to climate change, which brings intense heat and dry conditions.

In an unprecedented move, Idaho Power cut power to prevent fires and grid issues caused by downed wires amid the winds.

Meteorologist Mike Cantin of the National Weather Service in Boise cautions that cooler air from storms could fan existing flames, stressing the importance of fire safety: "Every little spark could get out of hand very easily. It could be a really hazardous situation very fast," he said. "Don't light anything on fire, and be very careful around grass."

The Durkee Fire, raging near the Oregon-Idaho state line, has forced a closure of a section of Interstate 84 and left ranchers in the predominantly rural area battling to save their cattle and the grasslands that serve as their food source.

Alison Oszman's home in Rye Valley, a small ranching community north of Huntington, was threatened by the fire last week. However, with the assistance of Bureau of Land Management firefighters and neighbours, they managed to safeguard their property using small tanker trucks and shovels.

A small bulldozer was also used to keep the fire at bay from the house, she explained.

As her property had already been burned and was safe, her neighbour relocated his horses and cattle there when the fire advanced towards his ranch, she added. On Wednesday night, Oszman went to inspect his property and discovered that the fire had descended a steep hillside and posed a threat to his home.

"I parked our truck out in the field just in case those big trees by his house caught fire," she recounted. "I was ensuring sparks didn't land in the dirt or the dry grass. But as the fire passed his house, it started raining."

The rain aided the firefighters in gaining control over the blaze.

"It was pretty scary but everything seemed to fall into place," she reflected. "Everybody helped everybody. It was actually pretty amazing for how crummy it really was."

In Northern California, the focus of fire personnel is on evacuations and protecting structures, with bulldozers being used to create containment lines in anticipation of the Park Fire. According to a late Wednesday update from CAL FIRE/ Butte County Fire Department, no deaths or structural damage have been reported.

Meanwhile, a smaller fire in Southern California is moving rapidly and posing a threat to homes.

Evacuation orders were put into effect on Wednesday night in San Diego County as a wildfire began to spread quickly near the border of San Diego and Riverside counties. Fire officials report that the Grove Fire is spreading southeast through steep and challenging terrain.

The fire expanded to 1.3 square miles (3.4 square kilometers) within a few hours but was 5% contained just before 8 p. m., according to Cal Fire's post on social media platform X.

State officials reported more than two dozen new fires starting in Montana on Wednesday and early Thursday. Hurricane-force winds brought strong thunderstorms into western Montana, causing trees to fall, power lines to go down, and gas lines in the Missoula area to be damaged.

A fire warning has been issued in central Montana due to high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds. An extreme heat warning east of the storm front indicates that temperatures could rise up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius).