OROVILLE, California — Firefighters lined roads to keep flames from reaching homes as helicopters dropped water on a growing wildfire in Northern California on Wednesday, forcing at least 13,000 people to evacuate. extreme heat expected.
The Thompson Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Sacramento, in and around the city of Oroville, in Butte County. It sent up a huge plume of smoke and by Wednesday morning had grown to nearly 4.7 square miles (12.1 square kilometers). The fire was zero percent contained.
The city with approximately 20,000 inhabitants has a state of emergency Tuesday night. Several homes were destroyed, KCRA-TV reported Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries. Two evacuation centers were set up in Butte County.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures above 37.8 degrees Celsius are again forecast for Wednesday.
The governor’s office announced late Tuesday night that federal funding had been approved to help with firefighting efforts. Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the State Operations Center this week to coordinate California’s response, dispatch mutual aid and support communities as they respond to threats from wildfires and extreme heat.
