Arsonist Sentenced for Setting Fire Near Yankee Hill, Park Fire Management Update

Douglas Allen Rowell, 64, has been sentenced for setting fire to his taxicab and a nearby vegetation area near Yankee Hill in Butte County. He pleaded guilty to arson and faces up to six years in prison. The fire occurred on July 17, 2024, and Cal Fire arson investigators arrested Rowell at a makeshift campsite. Meanwhile, the Park Fire, which has burned over 429,000 acres in Butte, Tehama, Shasta, and Plumas counties, is now 94% contained. Management of the fire has transitioned from Cal Fire to the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 2. The fire remains the largest in California this year and ranks as the fourth-largest wildfire in state history.