Thompson Fire is the latest blaze in a jarring start to California’s summer fire season.
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.
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. Images from some local TV stations and on social media showed that numerous homes had burned in the area between Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, and the town of Oroville two miles to the west. Carvalho said crews did not yet have an accurate total of homes lost.
The fire was the latest example of what so far has been an intense and jarring start to California’s summer wildfire season. “This is one of those things that is really pushing the boundary of what we’ve seen before for this time of year,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA. “Heat warnings have been extended into next week, to next Tuesday. This is very unusual.”
Most dam operators were evacuated to the Thermalito Power Plant several miles away. PG&E de-energized power lines, shutting off hydroelectric power production from the dam while the fire burned. “It’s pushing 107 degrees right now. People are just really tired,” said Trevor Smith, the owner of Big Red’s California BBQ in Oroville, which served food to fire evacuees. “A lot of them have been up all night. They seem emotionally drained. Most people are trying to live life normally, but they are on edge.”Two weeks ago, the Junes Fire burned 1,065 acres and the Palermo Fire burned 100 acres just south of Oroville.
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