Thousands of Butte County residents were forced to evacuate as the Thompson Fire raged through Northern California, officials reported on Wednesday.
The wildfire ignited Tuesday morning in Oroville, located approximately 65 miles north of Sacramento. By Wednesday night, it had expanded to 3,568 acres with only 7% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The fire's cause is still under investigation.
Evacuation orders initially affected 28,000 people. By Wednesday evening, some orders were downgraded to warnings in certain areas, allowing residents to return home, as per the Butte County Sheriff's Office.
Rachael Thompson, 41, who resides just outside the evacuation zone, shared videos on Facebook showing the encroaching flames. “We have four air purifiers running,” Thompson told NBC News. “It’s still extremely smoky but nothing like last night. It was suffocating.”
The blaze has already destroyed at least four structures and threatens 12,000 more. Power lines are also at risk, said Butte County fire spokesperson Rick Carhart. Nearly 1,500 personnel have been mobilized to combat the fire.
Eight injuries to civilians and fire personnel have been confirmed by Cal Fire.
Oroville has a history of devastating wildfires, including the 2018 Camp Fire, which claimed 85 lives and displaced approximately 50,000 people. In 2020, the Bear Fire destroyed the home of Thompson's neighbors.
"We've been through it so much that it's just kind of second nature. Now we already know what we need to do and to stay vigilant," Thompson explained.
Using a scanner app, Thompson listened to law enforcement officials ordering the evacuation of the area where her twin sister, Crystal Kehle, lived. Kehle, along with her husband and father-in-law, evacuated to Thompson’s home before the official order was issued. Butte County has established two evacuation shelters.
“California is using every available tool to tackle this fire & will continue to support impacted communities,” stated California Governor Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency for Butte County.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved federal funds Tuesday night to assist California in suppressing the fire.
Dan Collins, a fire captain at Cal Fire’s Butte County Fire Station, noted that while the Thompson Fire is aggressive, it’s not as severe as previous deadly fires the county has faced. He expressed optimism about containing the fire, citing the additional resources and personnel brought in by Cal Fire’s incident management team.
“It helps us as the local fire department because it’s tough for us to support a large incident like this,” Collins remarked.
The Thompson Fire is one of more than a dozen wildfires currently burning in California amidst a dangerous heat wave sweeping across the West. The extreme heat and wildfire risk have already disrupted Fourth of July plans, with California State Parks canceling Oroville's fireworks celebration. St. Helena and Antioch have also called off their Independence Day events.
Thompson's family has decided to cancel their holiday plans as well. “We told our family members that we’re just, it’s just too heavy right now. We’re not going to celebrate,” she said.
So far this year, 2,934 wildfires in California have scorched more than 139,500 acres.
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