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Firefighters battle Thompson fire as 28,000 Oroville residents evacuate

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A helicopter drops water on the Thompson Fire burning at Lake Oroville in Oroville, California, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Thompson Fire, the most dramatic and potentially dangerous of six blazes that broke out Tuesday across Northern California and the Central Coast, broke out around 10:50 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Cherokee and Thompson Flat roads in Oroville.

By Wednesday afternoon, authorities had evacuated more than 28,000 people from Oroville and surrounding communities in Butte County as the fire spread 3,560 acres without containment and temperatures reached 109 degrees. More than 1,400 firefighters were battling the blaze with eight helicopters, 199 engines and 46 bulldozers, and several large tanker planes were also involved.

Firefighters extinguish a structure fire that started from a burning generator and briefly spread to a small house fire during the Thompson Fire in Oroville, California, on July 3, 2024. A heat wave is sending temperatures soaring, prompting red fire warning flags across the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
A boat sails across Lake Oroville with a smoldering hillside visible behind it as the Thompson Fire rages in Oroville, Calif., Wednesday, July 3, 2024. A prolonged heat wave across Northern California has prompted red fire warning flags and power outages. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest dam, in Butte County shows signs of the Thompson Fire on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. The fire burned more than 3,500 acres of grass and brush around Lake Oroville, California’s second-largest reservoir, prompting the evacuation of more than 28,000 people. (Photo: Butte County Sheriff’s Office)
Burnt trees stand in front of the Oroville Dam spillway after the Thompson Fire tore through the area on July 3, 2024 in Oroville, California. At least 12,000 Butte County residents have been evacuated from the Thompson Fire, which has burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed multiple homes since it broke out Monday. The fire is now 0 percent contained. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Law enforcement officers watch as the Thompson Fire burns over Lake Oroville in Oroville, California, July 2, 2024. A heat wave is sending temperatures soaring, prompting red flag fire warnings across the state. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Flames engulf a building on Bessie Lane as the Thompson Fire rages in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A prolonged heat wave hitting Northern California has prompted red fire warning flags and power outages. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter runs to extinguish the Thompson Fire in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A prolonged heat wave across Northern California has prompted red flags and power outages. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames engulf a garage as the Thompson Fire rages in Oroville, California, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A prolonged heat wave across Northern California has prompted red fire warning flags and power outages. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A fire truck drives past the Thompson Fire, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A woman runs as cars are evacuated from the Thompson Fire, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A helicopter drops water as firefighters battle the Thompson Fire, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Inmate firefighters dig a firebreak as they battle the Thompson Fire, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A tanker truck dumps its load during the Thompson Fire, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An animal runs past a building as flames from the Thompson Fire approach Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. A prolonged heat wave in Northern California has prompted red fire warning flags and power outages. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
People on jet skis watch the Thompson Fire burn, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People watch the Thompson Fire burn Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Oroville, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

For more information, visit The Mercury News