FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California are getting some help from the weather just hours after the blaze exploded scorching an area larger than Los Angeles. Officials said Saturday that cooler temperatures and an increase in humidity could help slow the Park Fire, the largest blaze so far this year in California. The fire’s intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Paradise fire in 2018 that killed 85 people and torched 11,000 homes. Paradise again was near the danger zone. The entire town was under an evacuation warning Saturday, one of several communities facing such a warning in Butte County.
Grant Douglas pauses while evacuating as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames leap above fire vehicles as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames consume a vehicle as the Park Fire burns in Tehama County, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A property is seen in flames as the Park fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California, on July 26, 2024. A huge, fast-moving and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle gusty winds and perilously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Fire engines drive through flames ripping across Highway 36 as the Park fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California, on July 26, 2024. A huge, fast-moving and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle gusty winds and perilously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrea Douglas holds her head while evacuating as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames burn as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
TOPSHOT – A property is seen in flames as the Park fire continues to burn near Paynes Creek in unincorporated Tehama County, California, on July 26, 2024. A huge, fast-moving and rapidly growing wildfire in Northern California has forced more than 4,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battle gusty winds and perilously dry conditions, authorities said on July 26. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Firefighters watch from their buggy as the Park Fire jumps Highway 36 near Paynes Creek in Tehama County, Calif., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)