Firefighters make progress against massive blaze in California ahead of warming weather

FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews worked Tuesday to hold on to the progress made against the largest blaze in California this year ahead of warming temperatures forecast for later this week.

Authorities said containment was 14% and lifted evacuation orders in some communities of Butte County, where the Park Fire started last week before spreading to a neighboring county and scorching an area bigger than Los Angeles. The massive fire continues to burn through rugged, inaccessible terrain with dense vegetation, threatening to spread to two other counties.

“That’s going to be a continued challenge for us moving forward over the next couple of days," said Mark Brunton, an operations section chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Cooler weather has helped firefighters stop the blaze's path near some communities like Forest Ranch, where some people began returning to unscathed homes Tuesday.

Christopher and Anita Angeloni have lived in the community of 1,600 for 23 years and have had to evacuate several times due to wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and decimated the town of Paradise, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south.

Christopher Angeloni said he constantly worked on creating defensible space around his home and was happy to return home nearly a week after evacuating to see his hard work paid off.

“We were prepared to possibly lose everything,” he said.

Anita Angeloni said it has been a stressful week.

“We have not been sleeping enough, very tense, praying all the time, teary eyes," she said. “But we’re here. We’ll see for how long.”

The Park Fire, now the fifth largest in the state’s recorded history, was one of more than 100 large active wildfires burning in the U.S. on Tuesday. It has scorched nearly 600 square miles (1,551 square kilometers), according to CAL Fire. For comparison, the city of Los Angeles covers about 470 square miles (1,217 square kilometers).

Some blazes were sparked by the weather, with climate change increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the western U.S. endures blistering heat and bone-dry conditions.

The Park Fire started last Wednesday after authorities say a man pushed a burning car down a ravine in Chico. It has destroyed nearly 200 structures and is threatening thousands more. The suspect, Ronnie Dean Stout II, was charged with arson on Monday. His public defender, Nicole Diamond, said in an email she had no comment.

Some progress against the fire was made after cooler temperatures, more humidity and calmer winds in the last few days helped firefighters reach 14% containment as of Tuesday.

In the small forest community of Cohasset in Butte County, Ron Ward ignored evacuation orders last week and stayed behind with his son to defend his property, seeing Park Fire flames hundreds of feet high approach his family ranch.

He had lost insurance coverage on the property just a month earlier as companies increasingly drop California homeowners due to the growing risk of wildfires in the state.

He said the flames reached within 70 feet (21 meters) of his house. Then they stopped.

“It hit our sprinklers and kind of died down and then went around our property and missed, missed all of our structures,” Ward said. His 100-year-old ranch was saved.

Ward had to be the one to call his bookkeeper and neighbors to tell them their homes were gone.

“They haven’t even been able to get back to look at their homes,” he said, tearing up as he recounted last week's experience to The Associated Press in an interview Monday.

All through Cohasset there were remnants of the devastation, with charred mailboxes and vehicles covered with pink fire retardant dropped by aircraft. The husks of a washer and dryer set were surrounded by burned debris and a blackened motorcycle was propped upright, balancing on rims after its tires melted away.

Evacuation orders were in effect Tuesday on 25 wildfires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 27,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires that have burned more than 3,200 square miles (8,288 square kilometers) nationwide, the center said.

In Southern California, people in Kern and Tulare counties were ordered to evacuate because of a fire sweeping through the Sequoia National Forest. The Borel Fire scorched through almost the entirety of the historic mining town of Havilah, officials said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is scheduled to visit the town of 250 people later Tuesday.

“We’re seeing so many of these iconic places in California . . . being quite literally devastated by these new realities,” Newsom said.

The fires burning throughout the state have overwhelmed California’s firefighting capacity and outside help has started to arrive, officials said. Newsom thanked Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott on Tuesday for sending more than two dozen fire engines to help combat the Park Fire this week.

U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell said one-third of U.S. residents live in an area where human activities and wildland vegetation intersect, creating a higher potential for wildfires, according to a statement.

“We question living here for sure,” Ward said of his ranch in Cohasset. But generations have remained since his wife's great-grandfather settled there in 1905, and he isn't the one to leave, he said.

“There's a lot of history here,” Ward said. “So we live on this ranch, and we’re committed to this ranch and preserving the ranch.”

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. AP writers Eugene Garcia, Tran Nguyen and Rebecca Boone contributed.

The Park Fire burns along Highway 36 near Dales, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Fire crews light a burn operation along Highway 36 to slow the Park Fire near Dales, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A fire crew walks along Highway 32 near Butte Meadows, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A helicopter drops water on the Park Fire near Butte Meadows, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Andrea Blaylock becomes emotional as she sifts through the charred remains of her home that was destroyed in the Park Fire near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Fire crews light a burn operation along Highway 36 to slow the Park Fire near Dales, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A firefighter walks by the remains of a home that was destroyed in the Park Fire near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Ron Ward, 63, and son Ethan, 31, pose for a photo on their ranch in Cohasset Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. They've been driving around in a off road cart vehicle putting out spot fires and informing their evacuated neighbors that their homes burned down. Firefighters made progress and were helped by improving weather over the weekend in the battle against wildfires covering massive areas in the western United States, but further evacuations have been necessary as thousands of personnel tackle the flames. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

The Park Fire burns along Highway 32 near Butte Meadows, Calif., Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A CalFire firefighter cuts smaller trees along Highway 32 to help control the Park Fire near Butte Meadows, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

FILE - This photo provided by the Butte County District Attorney shows Ronnie Dean Stout II of Chico, Calif. Stout was charged with arson, for allegedly starting the Park Fire, during his first court appearance Monday, July 29, 2024. (Butte County District Attorney via AP, File)

A Beckwourth Hot Shot cuts trees along Highway 32 to help control the Park Fire near Butte Meadows, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

The Park Fire burns near Butte Meadows, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Firefighters put out hot spots from the Park Fire along Highway 32 near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A firefighter monitors trees burned in the Park Fire along Highway 32 near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A helicopter carries waters over the Park Fire near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Firefighters put out hot spots from the Park Fire along Highway 32 near Forest Ranch, Calif., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — Authorities searched a rugged, hilly area of southeastern Kentucky on Sunday for a man suspected in the weekend shooting of nine vehicles and wounding of five people on a busy interstate.

Joseph A. Couch, 32, was named a suspect in Saturday’s shootings on Interstate 75 after authorities recovered his SUV on a service road near the crime scene. They later found a semi-automatic weapon nearby that they believe was used in the shooting, said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.

The search was focused on a remote area north of London, a community of about 8,000 people, roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.

“Where is he? that’s the big question right now,” Acciardo told reporters as law enforcement raced to find Couch in the heavily wooded area before darkness fell. "We’re still in there. We still feel like that he’s in there or we obviously wouldn’t be searching wholeheartedly like we are.”

Couch — who earlier this year faced a later-dropped misdemeanor charge for terroristic threatening, according to court records — most recently lived in Woodbine, a small community about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the shooting scene. Acciardo said law enforcement found his abandoned vehicle Saturday and then an AR-15 rifle on Sunday in a wooded area next to a highway “that he could have shot down upon the interstate from.” A phone believed to be Couch's was also found by law enforcement, but battery had been taken out.

Couch was initially considered a person of interest in the case until he was upgraded to a suspect on Sunday, Acciardo said, adding he was considered to be armed and dangerous.

Authorities believe there was only one shooter. Acciardo said the shooting appeared to involve some planning but seemed to be a “random act” of violence in which no particular person was targeted. He wouldn't speculate as to a possible motive.

Acciardo said authorities were notified at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday about gunshots along the route near exit 49. An individual who was “off that exit” fired multiple rounds into the northbound and southbound lanes, striking nine vehicles and wounding five people, he said. The shooter was not in a vehicle at the time.

“When our first two units got to the scene there, they said it was a madhouse: people on the sides of the road, emergency flashers going, bullet holes, windows shot out, nine vehicles shot,” Acciardo said during a news conference.

The wounded — one person from Kentucky and others from out of state — were hospitalized in stable condition early Sunday. Some had “very serious” injuries, including one person shot in the face, Acciardo said.

Residents of Laurel County were on edge as authorities searched with a drone, helicopter and on foot in a remote and sparsely populated wooded area near the highway.

Acciardo said authorities had been “bombarded” with a hundred or more calls from people claiming to have seen Couch. State lawmakers from Laurel County urged residents of the area to stay home during the search.

Rodney Goodlett, pastor of Faith Assembly of God in London, was helping direct traffic as parishioners gathered for a service Sunday morning. He said he expected the search to hold down attendance. Several local churches canceled their services.

“There’s definitely people … that probably won’t be here today — just nervous with the suspect still at large,” he said.

Goodlett said the congregation was going to pray for the community, the wounded and the first responders, some of whom attend Faith Assembly, where around 275 parishioners worship weekly.

“This is tragic, obviously, that somebody would randomly do violent acts,” he said. “You hear media things taking place all around our country, but then when it hits home, it’s a little bit of a wake-up call.”

Cody Shepherd, sipping a bloody mary outdoors while waiting to watch a football game at the Pour Boyz Sports Lounge in London on Sunday, said rumors abounded as the search progressed.

Shepard, who lives in London, was at a party Saturday at a friend’s house about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of where the shooting occurred.

“We were listening to the police scanners all night,” he said, adding that they heard police sirens and saw a helicopter searching the area.

Authorities released a photo of Couch and warned residents to be on the lookout, but Acciardo cautioned that they “have not determined that this is the individual that fired the weapon.”

“We do have the area contained right now. ... Our special response team is there. We are trying to find a shooter there,” he said.

According to Kentucky state court records, Couch was charged this past February with misdemeanor terroristic threatening. However, the charge was dismissed when a victim failed to appear in court. Back in 2015, the same man was sentenced to six months in jail after being convicted of criminal mischief and unlawful transactions with a minor. Couch also has had a handful of traffic violations and a public intoxication conviction in 2020.

Acciardo said the search is dangerous for first responders and is painstaking because of thick foliage. There are “a lot of woods, a lot of cuts in the rock," he said. “He could be hiding behind a tree and us walk right up on him.” Heavy searching would be temporarily suspended if Couch wasn’t located before night fell, Acciardo said. The manhunt would resume in the morning.

“Whenever it gets dark, we can’t be in the woods,” he said. “It’s too dangerous for our guys.”

—

Associated Press journalist John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.

Cody Shepherd talks about all of the rumors that circulated following a shooting on Saturday along Interstate 75 near London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Rodney Goodlett, Pastor of the Faith Assembly Church, gives his reaction to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Rodney Goodlett, Pastor of the Faith Assembly Church, reacts to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, public information officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, on the progress of the investigation into the shooting along Interstate 75 on Saturday in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details on the progress of the investigation of the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives an update on the progress of the search for the suspect linked to the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

This image released by the Mount Vernon Fire Department shows traffic stopped during an active shooting on Interstate 75 north of London, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Camden Mink/Mount Vernon Fire Department via AP)

This image released by Kentucky’s London Police Department shows Joseph A. Couch, a person of interest in the Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, shootings on Interstate 75 near London, Ky. (London Police Department via AP)

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, Public information Officer with the Laurel County Sheriff's Office, gives details on the progress of the investigation of the shooting along I-75 in London, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)