The Thompson Fire was a fast-moving wildfire burning near the community of Oroville in Butte County, California, during the 2024 California wildfire season.
Background The Thompson Fire sparked amidst a heat wave described as "exceptionally dangerous and lethal" by the National Weather Service. The fire was allegedly caused by arson, with a man testing fireworks by throwing one out of the window. An arrest was made on August 22. The heat wave had caused vegetation to dry out, increasing wildfire risk in the area.
The community of Oroville has been affected by several major wildfires, including the Camp Fire in 2018 and the Bear Fire in 2020.
Fire The fire sparked at 10:51 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, near Cherokee Road and Thompson Flat Cemetery Road. Within six hours, the fire grew from to over , causing Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, declared a state of emergency in Butte County. 13 thousand residents of Oroville were evacuated from the area.
On Wednesday, the fire had scorched more than . It was originally reported that eight firefighters were injured, three in a car crash and four were heat-related. However, that number had dropped to four on Thursday. Four structures were also destroyed.
By Thursday, it was reported that growth of the fire had slowed, partly due to winds that were fueling the fire dying down.
Growth and containment status +Fire containment status Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained Date Total area burned Personnel Containment Jul 2 514 personnel Jul 3 1,438 personnel Jul 4 2,219 personnel Jul 5 1,930 personnel Jul 6 1,728 personnel Jul 7 1,185 personnel Jul 8 6 personnel
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