Wildfire in northern California doubles in size over 24 hours

Evacuation orders issued for several areas

A burned vehicle smolders in the Paynes Creek area of Tehama County, California, where firefighters are battling a fast-moving wildfire. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of firefighters are battling a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span.

The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 90 miles (144km) north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday evening, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has said.

Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was 10 per cent contained as of Saturday evening. The fire has destroyed 134 structures, authorities said.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state's history.

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US president Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and has directed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to fight it, a White House official said.

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A man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion that he started the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was the largest of dozens of active blazes across the country that have burned more than 2 million acres, the National Interagency Fire Center has said.

In Oregon several fires were burning, including the Durkee Fire, which had scorched more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, authorities said.

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