Nearly 30,000 Evacuated Due to California Wildfires
Tens of thousands of residents in northern California have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires continue to spread amid a severe heatwave. According to reports from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire), about 28,000 people have been instructed to leave their homes following the outbreak of the Thompson Fire earlier this week.
The National Weather Service has forecasted dangerously hot, dry, and windy conditions, with temperatures potentially reaching 118°F (47°C) in some areas early next week. As a precaution, the city of Oroville, located near the origin of the Thompson Fire, has canceled its July 4th fireworks celebration. Officials have also urged residents to refrain from using personal fireworks to prevent additional fires.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea emphasized the importance of caution during this critical time, stating, “The last thing we need is someone starting a fire with fireworks. Don’t be reckless and create more problems for us.” Sheriff Honea noted that the area has experienced four fires in recent weeks and warned that the danger is far from over, describing this as a particularly severe fire season.
Fire season in California, which began recently and typically lasts until October, has seen an increase in the size and intensity of fires in recent years. From 1996 to 2021, the amount of burned areas in northern and central California increased fivefold compared to the previous 24 years, a trend scientists attribute to human-caused climate change.
This week, the National Weather Service issued excessive heat and red flag warnings across the state, highlighting the extreme risk of heat stress and illnesses due to the hot, dry, and windy conditions. According to CalFire, approximately two dozen fires burning more than 10 acres have ignited across the state since the last week of June, with the largest blaze, spanning nearly 14,000 acres, occurring in Fresno County.
Despite the widespread destruction, no fatalities have been reported, and 74 structures across the state have been either damaged or destroyed. In response to the crisis, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Butte County to mobilize additional resources.
The Thompson Fire, which started on Tuesday in Oroville—located about 70 miles north of Sacramento—has forced the evacuation of 28,000 residents as of Wednesday, according to local CalFire spokesman Rick Carhart. As of Thursday, the fire had spread to approximately 3,500 acres and was only 7% contained.
Brittanie Hardie, a recent California transplant from Louisiana, shared her harrowing experience with the San Francisco Chronicle, explaining how she was away when her girlfriend evacuated their apartment, leaving her with just the clothes on her back. “I knew wildfires were bad in California, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” Hardie remarked.
Oroville City Council member Shawn Webber posted a video on Facebook on Wednesday, showing charred and smoking hillsides along a local road. He praised firefighters for their efforts, stating they had done an “excellent job protecting us from even more destruction.”
California’s state parks system acknowledged that some of the responders to the fire have also been displaced from their homes. These dedicated employees are tirelessly assisting the Lake Oroville community despite their personal challenges.
