Apache fire near Chico destroys two buildings, triggers evacuations

A fire broke out in Butte County Monday evening and, according to Cal Fire, it was spreading at a dangerous rate before being better contained Tuesday morning.

The Apache Fire was first reported at 7:21 p.m. Monday, and within hours it grew to more than 465 acres, triggering evacuation orders near Chico and in the Palermo community.

At 8 p.m. Monday, Cal Fire posted on social media that the fire was growing at a “dangerous rate.”

A Cal Fire incident report says two structures were destroyed in the fire.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire grew to 691 acres and was 15% contained, although the large plumes of smoke that were visible Monday evening could no longer be seen in the area, as KCRA reports.

The Chico Enterprise-Record reports the fire was burning toward Oroville.

Cal Fire's Butte County unit said Tuesday that “crews continue construction of hotlines around the perimeter” and “more resources [are] inputs to support operations. They added that “many firefighting air tankers across the state perform fire suppression missions when conditions permit.” »

It is unclear whether the fire was started by lightning, but numerous lightning strikes were reported in the Central Valley and Northern California overnight.

A mass of subtropical moisture, the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto in the Pacific, moved toward California on Monday and is causing unsettled weather, including about 1,000 lightning strikes in Fresno County alone.

Weather forecasts suggest rain could fall in the Apache Fire area on Tuesday.

Cal Fire is currently battling seven fires across the state that span more than 500 acres, including the 19,000-acre Sites Fire in Colusa County, which is now 86% contained. The Aero Fire, which broke out last week in Calaveras County, is 5,285 acres in size and is now 95% contained.

The Sonoma County Point Fire has been removed from Cal Fire's active incident list and is now 100% contained. This fire burned 1,207 acres and destroyed three homes near Lake Sonoma.