A devastating wildfire that destroyed buildings near Oroville, Butte County, California, and forced the evacuation of 29,000 people had weakened on Thursday, allowing most residents to return to their homes, authorities said.
Firefighters battled the blaze through the night, and by Thursday morning the blaze, named the Thompson Fire, had stabilized and burned at about 3,700 acres. The fierce winds that initially fanned the blaze had subsided overnight.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office lifted evacuation orders and warnings in more than 20 areas and downgraded evacuation orders to warnings in about 20 more, allowing more than 26,000 residents who had been evacuated by the fires to return. About 2,780 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders.
According to a Cal Fire incident report, four firefighters have been injured and four buildings have been destroyed by the fire. Reports also say the fire destroyed a vehicle.
“Overall, conditions are looking pretty good,” Cal Fire spokesman Kevin Colburn said. “The fire is not like it was on day one. It’s not spreading as quickly. It’s staying pretty much the same size as it started.”
Colburn said officials are “growing more confident” in the fire’s growth and firefighters’ ability to contain it, but added there’s still more work to be done and things could change. As of Thursday morning, the fire was 7% contained.
For some who returned to the area Thursday, anxiety remained. Angel Williams, assistant manager at Foothill Boarding and Grooming in Oroville, spent the morning working to return a pack of dogs evacuated Tuesday to their kennels.
Nearby hills were charred and a hot, smoky wind blew through the facility. The facility was undamaged, but Williams was trying to reduce the number of animals in his care by sending dogs to emergency contacts for their owners in case the situation changed.
“We’re still waiting,” Williams said, noting that fires were still burning just a few miles away. “I’ve had a terrible headache all day from worrying.”
Much of California is in the grip of a heatwave that isn’t expected to subside until next week. Temperatures in Oroville on Thursday are expected to reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit and are expected to rise further over the next few days. Officials say the rising temperatures and decreased humidity could lead to increased fire activity. Two small fires broke out within a few miles of the fire near Oroville on Wednesday but were quickly extinguished.
Butte County has seen a number of destructive wildfires in recent years, including the 2018 Camp Fire, one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, which killed 85 people and almost completely destroyed the town of Paradise, about 20 miles north of Oroville.
