Flames 'right by our front door': Wildfires rage across western US

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on western wildfires for Monday, July 29. For the latest, see our story for Tuesday, July 30.

A suspected arson fire grew into the sixth largest blaze in California history and a new wildfire in Colorado prompted evacuations as firefighters battled flames across the western U.S. Monday.

Despite improved weather conditions and an influx of firefighters, the Park Fire in Northern California expanded to more than 373,000 burned acres across four counties, making it by far the biggest blaze in the state this year and fast approaching the fifth spot on the grim list of the largest on record. The fire, near the college town of Chico, is just 12% contained.

In northern Colorado, the Alexander Mountain Fire near Loveland grew by nearly 500 acres in two hours and was up to 864 acres with zero containment as of 6:15 p.m. Mountain time, according to InciWeb, an interagency incident information system. Several helicopters and planes were battling the flames, which created a voluminous smoke cloud and prompted authorities to issue mandatory evacuation orders in Larimer County, close to the border with Wyoming.

Brittany Vogel, 33, was told to "start packing up'' by a supervisor at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch and Retreat in Loveland, about 50 miles north of Denver. The fire had prompted the staff to move the horses ? 90 were sent by trailer to another facility ? and put guests “on standby” to evacuate at a moment's notice.

Standing at the reception desk, Vogel told USA TODAY she could see the fire outside and said “it was pretty much right by our front door.”

Dangerous fire weather notices, known as red flag warnings, and air quality alerts were in place Monday in Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon, urging residents to prepare for gusty winds and low humidity that "can lead to rapid growth and very high intensity of any new or existing fires," the National Weather Service said.

Suspect in Park Fire charged with arson

Thousands of firefighters responded over the weekend to the Park Fire, which started Wednesday after authorities say a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then fled.

Ronnie Stout of Chico was charged with arson Monday in his first court appearance, the Associated Press reported. Stout, 42, has two previous felony convictions, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office said, and would be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison if convicted n this case, based on the state's "three strikes'' law.

Live footage of the wildfire on the website of the California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website Monday showed flames glowing atop hillsides, creating multiple streams of dense gray smoke near Colby Mountain in Tuolumne County.

The fire poses a threat to Paradise, the California town devastated by a 2018 wildfire that stands as the deadliest in state history with 85 fatalities.

Highway closures on and off because of fires

In central Oregon, fires have led to highway closures, affecting local businesses such as Tyler Fouts' Blue Mountain Fine Art studio in Baker City. Semi-trucks carrying bronze and sand Fouts uses to make sculptures haven't been able to make deliveries, he told USA TODAY.

"They seem to open and close the highway off and on," said Fouts, 65, who has been in Baker City for 20 years. "I'm just hoping it goes away."

Fouts said Baker City is about 20 miles north of the nearest fire, and the community hasn't been told to evacuate yet. Over the weekend, evacuations were in effect for over 20 fires nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, which reported 94 large active wildfires across the U.S. as of Monday morning.

Borel Fire decimates historic mining town

A handful of other fires in California are together burning more than 82,000 acres, state officials said. A blaze called the Borel Fire is "expected to be, once again, very extreme," the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said late Sunday.

Destruction from the Borel Fire includes the historic mining town of Havilah, where gold was discovered in the 1860s. By the early 1900s, the lucrative deposits were depleted and Havilah became a ghost town, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Except for a handful of structures, Havilah from the northern edge to the Walker Basin is a complete loss, officials reported, according to the Desert Sun. One of the few buildings to be spared was Havilah's old schoolhouse, KGET Bakersfield reported.

Five wildfires converge in Oregon

In Oregon, where officials say lightning has sparked fires, the body of a missing airplane pilot was found Friday after his plane went down while battling a fire.

In the northeast part of the state, officials said more fire responders are being sent to tackle blazes near the town of Wallowa, where five fires converged over the weekend, the Wallowa County Chieftain reported.

"The team is being ordered in anticipation of unfavorable weather in the area later in the week," the Oregon Department of Forestry said on its Facebook page Sunday night.

Smoke outlooks across five counties in eastern Oregon said "unhealthy" air conditions are expected to persist Monday and Tuesday, after a weak cold front moves through the area, according to the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.

“You do get concerned that it will get worse, that the smoke will get worse, because at some point it does get really unhealthy to be outside," said Fouts, adding that some of his friends experience headaches and allergy-like symptoms from wildfire smoke.

Farther west, La Pine, Oregon, recently registered an Air Quality Index of 233, breaking into the "very unhealthy" category, according to state air quality officials.

Utah on alert for dangerous fire conditions

The National Weather Service said much of Utah will face weather conditions through Tuesday that can easily cause more fires, including wind gusts up to 30 mph and humidity as low as 5%.

The conditions will be the most dangerous across southern and central Utah through Monday, the weather service said, before shifting to higher elevations in northern Utah Tuesday.

Red flag warnings in effect in Wyoming

In Wyoming, where a plane crash sparked a wildfire Friday, several red flag warnings are in effect until Tuesday, when wind gusts are expected to subside and possibly allow for clear conditions, the National Weather Service said.

Seven people died in the crash that happened north of the town of Gillette, in Campbell County. By Saturday afternoon, firefighters had contained the fire caused by the accident to 38 acres, according to a Campbell County Fire Department press release.

As of Monday, there were at least three active fires still burning in the county, according to a national wildfire tracker, and Campbell County Public Information Officer Leslie Perkins told USA TODAY there was no update available on the fire caused by the plane crash.

In Idaho, warm temps could fuel 'extreme fire' conditions

In Idaho, which in July has seen nearly triple the number of wildfires compared to June, roads and trails northeast of Boise were closed Monday, according to Idaho Fish and Game. Most of the state's active fires are in its northern half, or panhandle. One of the largest fires in the state is burning near the town of Fish, Idaho.

The weather service also issued forecasts for Idaho saying fire-spurring winds could decrease overnight Monday is some areas, while elsewhere, warm temperatures through Tuesday could lead to "extreme fire behavior."

Contributing: James Ward, Desert Sun

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires rage in western US: Loveland blaze spurs evacuations