Northern California Wildfires Extinguished, Residents Return Home

A devastating fire that destroyed buildings and forced the evacuation of 29,000 people near Orrville in Butte County, California, slowed enough Thursday to allow most residents to return to their homes, officials said.
Firefighters battled the blaze throughout the night, and as of Thursday morning the blaze, dubbed the Thompson Fire, was relatively stable and had burned about 3,700 acres. The strong winds that initially caused the fire subsided overnight.
On Thursday afternoon, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office lifted evacuation orders and warnings for more than 20 areas and reduced evacuation orders to warnings for about 20 areas, including more than 26,000 residents who were evacuated due to the fire. Approximately 2,780 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
According to the Cal Fire incident report, four firefighters were injured and four buildings were destroyed in the fire. According to media reports, the fire also destroyed a car.
“Overall, we’re in pretty good shape,” said Cal Fire spokesman Kevin Colburn. “The fire is no longer where it was on the first day. It doesn’t burn as quickly as it spreads. It remains broadly on track.”
Colburn added that while officials are “increasingly confident” of slowing the spread of the fire and firefighters are able to contain the blaze, there is still work to be done and the situation could change. As of Thursday morning, the fire was 7 percent contained.
Some people who returned to the area Thursday were still concerned. Angel Williams, assistant manager at Foothill Boarding and Grooming in Oroville, spent Tuesday morning returning a group of evacuated dogs to their kennels.
The nearby hills were burned black and hot and smoky winds blew in the area. There were no injuries at the facility, but Williams tried to reduce the number of animals in her care by sending dogs to their owners’ emergency calls when their situations changed.
“We’re still waiting,” Williams said. “I’m so worried I’ve had a bad headache all day.”
Large parts of the state of California are being hit by a severe heat wave that is not expected to subside until next week. Temperatures in Oroville are expected to reach 110 degrees on Thursday, and the coming days are expected to be even hotter.
Officials said higher temperatures and lower humidity could contribute to increased fire activity. On Wednesday, two small fires broke out within a few miles of the fire near Orrville, but they were quickly extinguished.
Butte County has experienced several devastating wildfires in recent years, including the 2018 Camp Fire, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history. 85 people died and the town of Paradise, 20 miles north of Orrville, was almost completely destroyed.
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