California's Park Fire Now 12% Contained

Some residents evacuate the Park Fire at Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County.Photo byphoto by: Noah Berger/AP

As Northern California thought they would have a more mild fire season than in the past, it's now taking a turn for the worst.

The Park Fire continues to spread and presently is the biggest first in California this year. It is in the area near Chico, and firefighters are having to change their strategy on the fly. With several small towns in the area, Tehama County residents are on alert to see if there are any evacuation orders.

A Cal Fire update from today has the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reporting that this is the largest fire of the year in California and the 7^th largest of all time. Unfortunately, the Park Fire will climb up the list because it is only 12% contained. Some are saying this might be one of the hardest they've ever fought due to the rural terrain.

Arson was suspected from the beginning, and a person has been arrested. A 42-year-old Chico resident, Ronnie Dean Stout II, was arrested after being seen by a witness rolling a burning car into a gully near Alligator Hole in Butte County.

The map of the fire shows just how huge the area is.

Originally, it was feared that over 100 structures had been burned, but that has been downgraded to 66.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a state of emergency in Butte and Tehama counties. This allows residents to get certain services quicker, and fees will be waived to replace records, driver licenses, and identification cards.