The Thompson Fire, the most dramatic and potentially dangerous of the half a dozen wildfires that broke out Tuesday across Northern California and the Central Coast, ignited around 10:50 a.m. Tuesday at Cherokee and Thompson Flat roads in Oroville.
By Wednesday afternoon, authorities evacuated more than 28,000 people from Oroville and surrounding communities in Butte County as the fire spread to 3,560 acres with no containment and temperatures hitting 109 degrees. More than 1,400 firefighters battled the blaze with eight helicopters, 199 engines and 46 bulldozers. Several large fixed-wing tanker planes also were involved.
Firefighters knock down a structure fire that ignited from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small spot fire at a home during the Thompson fire in Oroville, California on July 3, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) A boat crosses Lake Oroville with a smoldering hillside behind as the Thompson Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. An extended heatwave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest dam, in Butte County, shows burn scars from the Thompson Fire, on Wednesday July 3, 2024. The fire burned more than 3,500 acres of grass and brush around Lake Oroville, California’s second largest reservoir, prompting the evacuation of more than 28,000 people. (Photo: Butte County Sheriff’s Office) Burned trees stand in front of the Oroville Dam spillway after the Thompson Fire moved through the area on July 03, 2024 in Oroville, California. At least 12,000 Butte County residents have been evacuated as they flee the Thompson Fire that has burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed multiple homes since starting on Monday. The fire is zero percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Law enforcement members watch as the Thompson fire burns over Lake Oroville in Oroville, California on July 2, 2024. A heatwave is sending temperatures soaring resulting in red flag fire warnings throughout the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) Flames consume a structure on Bessie Lane as the Thompson Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extended heat wave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A firefighter runs while battling the Thompson Fire burning in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extended heat wave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Flames consume a garage as the Thompson Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extended heat wave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) A firetruck passes as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) A women runs while cars evacuate as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) A helicopter drops water as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) Inmate firefighters dig a firebreak as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) A tanker makes a drop as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) An animal runs beside a building as flames from the Thompson Fire approach in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extended heatwave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) People on jet skis watch as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) People watch as the Thompson Fire burns, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
