Nothing will get your attention quicker than a wildfire starting right out your back door. That’s where we found ourselves on the afternoon of July 24th, looking over the back fence of QTAC headquarters as a plume of smoke started to rise into the air just a few miles away in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park.

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This was the beginning of the Park Fire, now the fourth-largest wildfire in California state history. What started as a small blaze got whipped into a frenzy due to high winds, low humidity, and extremely hot ambient temperatures. We watched as the air and ground crews hit it repeatedly just a few minutes after ignition, but there was no stopping it at that point.

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Sixteen days later, it’s still burning.

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Our shop was evacuated along with several employees who had to leave their homes following the start of the fire. Our apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers. We’re back to work now and ready to assist you however we can.

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The Park Fire is now at 427,000 acres, has crossed into four counties, and is currently 34 percent contained. The small towns of Mill Creek and Mineral are still threatened. A lot of folks have lost their homes and possessions.  There are over 6,500 personnel working the fire, 33 helicopters, 513 engines, 188 dozers, 179 water tenders, 141 crews, and another 129 units committed. The scale is immense.

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Thank you to all of the firefighters and support personnel who continue to fight this fire. To say we appreciate it is an understatement.  Thank you to our employees, who have continued to come to work under difficult circumstances in order to fulfill orders and get products shipped to our customers

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We’ll keep you updated as this situation evolves. In the meantime, to everyone on the line or trying to get back into their property, stay safe. 

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