California’s largest wildfire of year whips through community of Forest Ranch: ‘The sky was dark with smoke’

Smoke and flames rise from the forest as crews try to extinguish a wildfire in Chico, California, on 25 July 2024. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

A massive and explosive wildfire whipped through the small rural community of Forest Ranch, California, on Thursday, bringing back dark memories in a region that has withstood several devastating wildfires in recent years.

The Park fire has grown into the state’s largest this year, destroying buildings and forcing the evacuations of thousands in one of the state’s most wildfire-hardened regions.