Thompson Fire: 28,000 under evacuation order, 7 firefighters injured as Butte County blaze grows to 3,500 acres

OROVILLE, Calif. (KGO) — More than 28,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as the Thompson Fire spreads near Oroville, California.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

More than 1,000 firefighters are currently battling the flames. More than 3,500 acres have burned, and at least seven firefighters have been injured.

Video shows flames ripping through structures near Oroville in Butte County. Vehicles were also burned there.

“It was kind of a rollercoaster of emotions, but I tried to keep a positive attitude about it all, because what are you going to do?” one of the evacuees said.

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A viewer sent us video showing a burning hillside around the iconic O, which stands for Oroville. Evacuees were able to take some of their animals, but had to leave others behind.

We spoke to a woman whose horse seemed stressed.

“Her friend didn’t follow us. Her best friend is a lamb, and the lamb had – she didn’t see us go, and I couldn’t. I had to go, so I left the gate open so the lamb could go, and she misses her friend. She cries for her friend all the time,” she said.

Cailynne Brewer is under an evacuation warning. She went to her friend’s house with her parents last night. She was busy, to say the least.

“I live with my parents, my sister, my niece, my brother and me, so it’s quite a lot. And then we have a dog and two cats, and then we moved into our friend’s house, and he has about five people there,” Brewer said.

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Some Oroville residents say their focus is solely on the dam.

“One thing that concerned me, even though I was assured it wasn’t a problem, was the possibility of a dam breach due to the fire,” said Brendon Matheson of Oroville.

We asked Cal Fire officials about this dam.

“There’s always a concern when there’s a fire in the area, about some critical infrastructure. Crews are aware of that. We’re aware of the issues that that could cause in the area. So the dam officials and the fire department, we’re on high alert and we’re always checking in on how that’s going,” said Ryan Lubben with Cal Fire.

“I feel terrible. I feel really, really bad. It’s like a holiday weekend for me. People should be celebrating right now, and this is the last thing they need,” said Ivy Miguel of Yuba City.

This comes as no surprise, but we did learn that Oroville’s Fourth of July celebration has been canceled due to the fire.