Associated Press
California's largest active fire exploded in size on Friday evening, growing rapidly amid bone-dry fuel and threatening thousands of homes as firefighters scrambled to meet the danger. The Park Fire's intensity and rapid spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp Fire, which burned out of control in nearby Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people and torching 11,000 homes. It stood at 374 square miles (967 square kilometers) on Friday night and was moving fast after igniting Wednesday when a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico, authorities said, and then calmly blended in with others fleeing the scene.