Thousands of Firefighters in Action: Weather Change Eases Fight Against Park Fire in Northern California

Thousands of firefighters currently battling a massive fire in Northern California received support from favorable weather conditions. Hours after the fire rapidly spread and set an area larger than Los Angeles ablaze, cooler temperatures and increased humidity provided some relief to the emergency crews. The so-called Park Fire, which has now become the largest in California this year, was somewhat slowed by the changing weather conditions. The intensity and dramatic spread rate of the fire had previously led to undesirable comparisons with the devastating Camp Fire, which raged out of control in the nearby town of Paradise in 2018. That fire claimed 85 lives and destroyed 11,000 homes. Fires are also currently raging in other parts of the western United States and Canada, fanned by wind and heat. However, recent weather conditions offer some of the heavily affected regions hopeful prospects for a slower spread of the fires.