Thompson Fire

Last updated

Thompson Fire
Part of the 2024 California wildfires
The Thompson Fire Lake Oroville.jpg
The Thompson Fire as seen from Lake Oroville on July 2, 2024.
Date(s)July 2, 2024 (2024-07-02) – July 8, 2024 (2024-07-08)
Location Butte County, California, U.S.
Coordinates 39°32′17″N121°32′48″W / 39.53793°N 121.5467°W / 39.53793; -121.5467
Statistics [1]
Perimeter100% contained
Burned area3,789 acres (1,533 ha)
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries4
Evacuated29,000 [2]
Structures destroyed26 (8 damaged)
Ignition
Cause Arson
Map
Thompson Fire
Perimeter of the Thompson Fire (map data)
USA California location map.svg
FireIcon.svg
Location of Thompson Fire in California

The Thompson Fire was a fast-moving wildfire burning near the community of Oroville in Butte County, California, during the 2024 California wildfire season. [3]

Contents

Background

The Thompson Fire sparked amidst a heat wave described as "exceptionally dangerous and lethal" by the National Weather Service. [4] 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. [5] The heat wave has caused vegetation to dry out, increasing wildfire risk in the area. [3]

The community of Oroville has been affected by several major wildfires, including the Camp Fire in 2018 and the Bear Fire in 2020. [6]

Fire

The fire sparked at 10:51 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, near Cherokee Road and Thompson Flat Cemetery Road. [7] Within six hours, the fire grew from 15 acres (6.1 ha) to over 2,100 acres (850 ha), causing Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, declared a state of emergency in Butte County. [8] [9] 13 thousand residents of Oroville were evacuated from the area. [9]

On Wednesday, the fire had scorched more than 3,000 acres (1,200 ha). [10] It was originally reported that eight firefighters were injured, three in a car crash and four were heat-related. [11] However, that number had dropped to four on Thursday. [2] Four structures were also destroyed. [12]

By Thursday, it was reported that growth of the fire had slowed, partly due to winds that were fueling the fire dying down. [2]

Growth and containment status

Fire containment status Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained
DateTotal area burnedPersonnelContainment
Jul 2 [13] 2,135 acres (864 ha)514 personnel
0%
Jul 3 [14] 3,002 acres (1,215 ha)1,438 personnel
0%
Jul 4 [15] 3,789 acres (1,533 ha)2,219 personnel
29%
Jul 5 [16] 3,789 acres (1,533 ha)1,930 personnel
55%
Jul 6 [17] 3,789 acres (1,533 ha)1,728 personnel
79%
Jul 7 [18] 3,789 acres (1,533 ha)1,185 personnel
94%
Jul 8 [19] 3,789 acres (1,533 ha)6 personnel
100%

References

  1. ↑ "Thompson Fire". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Wolfe, Jonathan (July 4, 2024). "Northern California Wildfire Slows, Allowing Some Residents to Return Home". The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Alonso, Melissa; Shackelford, Robert (July 3, 2024). "Wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousands in Northern California as 'exceptionally dangerous' heat builds in the West". CNN . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ Castañeda, Carlos (July 3, 2024). ""Exceptionally dangerous" heat wave still in early stages; Bay Area may see record temps". CBS News . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  5. ↑ Ruberg, Sara (August 26, 2024). "Man Is Charged With Arson in California Wildfire That Destroyed 13 Homes". The New York Times . Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ Baek, Susan (July 3, 2024). "Thompson Fire in Northern California forces evacuations as blaze rages". NBC News . Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Adam; Harting, Ashley (July 2, 2024). "Emergency declared as 13K residents evacuated by Thompson Fire in Northern California". KATV . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ Ahumada, Rosalio (July 2, 2024). "Thompson Fire: 13,000 residents under evacuation orders as Northern California blaze grows". The Sacramento Bee . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Nobert, Matthew (July 3, 2024). "Governor's Office declares state of emergency for Thompson Fire". KSEE . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  10. ↑ Holpuch, Amanda (July 3, 2024). "13,000 Are Ordered to Evacuate as Wildfire Spreads in Northern California". The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  11. ↑ Hernandez, Javier (July 3, 2024). "8 firefighters injured during the Thompson Fire". Action News Now. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  12. ↑ Ahumada, Rosalio; Hunt, Daniel; Pedrosa, Camila (July 4, 2024). "Four homes destroyed, 13k remain evacuated as Thompson Fire burns 3,000 acres in Butte County". The Sacramento Bee . Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/02/2024 at 9:57 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/03/2024 at 3:33 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/04/2024 at 9:52 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/05/2024 at 7:12 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/06/2024 at 7:13 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/07/2024 at 6:17 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Thompson Fire Incident Update for 07/08/2024 at 6:15 PM". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection . Retrieved July 23, 2024.
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