BUTTE COUNTY – Several mandatory evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings Thursday because of the Thompson Fire in Northern California. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office also lifted several evacuation warnings for the Oroville area.
Lake Oroville and most surrounding recreation areas and parks were closed on Independence Day. California State Parks said some areas may reopen Friday depending on the evolution of the Thompson Fire.
The park administration had already announced this week that Oroville’s popular 4th of July fireworks was canceled this year, and the city imposed a temporary fireworks ban.
Early Thursday evening, Cal Fire in Butte announced that an Oroville resident was arrested for setting a counterfire just hours after the Thompson Fire broke out on Tuesday. The man had used a propane torch to burn about half an acre of land in a high-risk area.
Wildfire fighters typically use backfire to burn through flammable materials and create a barrier that a spreading wildfire would have difficulty crossing. The man arrested is not charged with starting the Thompson Fire.
Cal Fire reported Thursday afternoon that the fire had burned more than 3,700 acres and containment had increased to 29%.
Several buildings, including homes, were destroyed or damaged by the fire. The exact number of structures destroyed is still unclear, but Cal Fire said more than 12,000 structures were still at risk late Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the Thompson Fire. The emergency will allow for the securing of a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide critical resources to the region. The grant will be provided from a federal disaster relief fund and could cover up to 75% of the cost of firefighting with federal funds.
Local emergencies were also declared at the county and city levels this week as the fire threatened critical infrastructure, including water and electricity supplies, in the Oroville area. The California Office of Emergency Services also deployed additional fire and police personnel to the Oroville area earlier this week.
Residents were able to obtain free N-95 respirator masks to escape the poor air quality. The masks were distributed at the Department of Employment and Social Services at 78 Table Mountain Boulevard and at the Oroville Public Safety Facility at 2055 Lincoln Street, both in Oroville.
The Thompson Fire broke out on Tuesday in the area of Cherokee Road and Thompson Flat Cemetery.
According to Cal Fire, eight firefighters were injured. The severity of their injuries is unknown.
A couple fought side by side with firefighters to save their home. They said the fire was burning just feet from their porch and they had been mowing in anticipation of fire season.
A survivor of the Camp Fire was among the volunteers Providing free food, drinks and other supplies to evacuees of the Thompson Fire in Oroville on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, CBS Sacramento captured images of a burned-out home on Canyon Drive in north Oroville.
In addition to the images captured by CBS Sacramento, several photos from Getty Images show buildings and cars in flames in Oroville.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images
The cause of fire is not discovered yet.
Butte County has a history of destructive wildfires. In 2018, the Camp Fire destroyed the city of Paradise almost completelywhich killed 85 people and burned over 150,000 acres of land. It was the worst wildfire in California’s history.
Evacuation zones and emergency shelters
Mandatory evacuation orders affected tens of thousands of people from near downtown Oroville east to Kelly Ridge and north just past Cannon Reservoir. Although several evacuation orders were lifted or reduced Thursday, it is not yet clear by how much that number has dropped.
As of Thursday afternoon, mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for the area surrounding the Oroville Dam, which extends west to where the Feather River first turns south and north, to the intersection of Oregon Gulch Road with Yadira Lane and Potters Ravine Drive. This area includes the following zones: Part of 533, 534, 535, Part of 536, 711, Part of 716, Part of 730 and Part of 731.
Evacuation warnings remain in effect for some of the immediate areas surrounding the southern mandatory evacuation zones. These include areas north of the Oroville city limits and east of the southern end of the lake east of the dam. Warnings are also in effect north of the mandatory evacuation zones along the west side of Lake Oroville north of Canon Reservoir and west near Elsey.
Warnings apply to Zones 532, parts of 533, parts of 536, 700-710, 712-715, parts of 716, parts of 730, parts of 731, 851, 953, 954, 959 and 960.
All other residents who were subject to an evacuation order of any kind may return home.
Evacuation orders also remain in effect for several facilities in the state water project, including the Hyatt Power Plant and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center. The power plant has been offline since Wednesday morning because Pacific Gas & Electric shut down power lines and power is out.
The evacuation shelter at the Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Ave. remains open. The shelter at the Gridley Fairgrounds at 199 E Hazel St. in Gridley was closed Thursday.
A small animal evacuation shelter has been set up at 2279 Del Oro Ave. in Oroville, and a large animal shelter is available at Camelot Equestrian Park at 1985 Clark Road in Oroville.
