Lightning strikes have ignited wildfires in Idaho, leading to evacuations in various communities, including one where a man witnessed buildings and trees consumed by flames with smoke billowing over the road. Videos shared on social media captured residents fleeing Juliaetta, about 27 miles southeast of the University of Idaho, as explosions rang out. The town of just over 600 people was evacuated ahead of the Gwen Fire, along with nearby communities near the Clearwater River.
The Idaho Department of Lands reported that “multiple structures” were destroyed, but specific details, such as whether the structures were homes or outbuildings, were not immediately provided. As wildfires rampage through the Pacific Northwest, it was revealed that California’s largest fire this year was set off by a man who was observed pushing a burning car into a gully.
The individual then calmly left the scene in Bidwell Park in Butte County as the rapidly spreading flames triggered the Park Fire, according to Butte County prosecutor Mike Ramsey. A 42-year-old man from Chico was arrested and remains in custody without bail, pending an arraignment. The Park Fire in California had expanded to over 257 square miles, burning through dry brush and challenging firefighting efforts.
Evacuations were issued in Butte and Tehama counties, with containment of the Park Fire at only 3% by Friday morning. Thousands of residents were instructed to evacuate, resulting in some structures being destroyed and two minor injuries reported. Dry conditions, high temperatures, low humidity, and wind speed have all contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.
The Park Fire was burning near Paradise, where the catastrophic Camp Fire occurred in 2018, claiming 85 lives and destroying thousands of homes. The recurrence of such devastating wildfires in the area has left authorities expressing regret and frustration. Climate change is believed to be intensifying the frequency of lightning strikes, coupled with record heat and extremely dry conditions in the region.
The U.S. Pacific Northwest has witnessed over 1,500 square miles of land burned this summer, with wildfires also affecting western Canada. Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies had to contend with a destructive wildfire that forced 25,000 people to evacuate. In Oregon, the Durkee Fire remains the largest active blaze in the U.S., burning hundreds of square miles with low containment levels.
Although some residents were permitted to return home after beneficial rainfall and cooler temperatures in affected areas, lightning strikes triggered new fires in Idaho, posing threats to small towns. Idaho Power took proactive measures by cutting off electricity to prevent additional fires caused by high winds. A surge in lightning strikes led to 15 new fires in Idaho alone. In Montana, over two dozen new wildfires were reported within a short timeframe.
In California, the Gold Complex fires, ignited by lightning strikes, displaced around 1,000 individuals, scorching over 4 square miles of land near the Nevada border. Structural damage, casualties, or severe injuries were not reported, but the fires remained uncontained due to windy conditions. Additional fires in Southern California and San Diego County further strained firefighting efforts amid growing containment percentages after days of battling the blazes.
