Oroville man, 61, arrested after quarter-acre backfire started near Northern California wildfire
An Oroville man was arrested this week after firefighters accused him of setting a backfire the same afternoon the Thompson Fire ignited in Butte County.
The 61-year-old Oroville man was seen setting the backfire on a property near Oro Quincy Highway on Tuesday, north of the Thompson fire, using a propane torch, Cal Fire Butte County unit said in a news release. When Cal Fire personnel arrived at the scene, they found him standing near a quarter-acre of burned land.
Firefighters extinguished the fire and detained the man, who authorities said admitted he had set the backfire with the torch. A backfire is a small fire used to stop the progress of a larger wildfire by burning the area in its path and thus depriving it of fuel.
“The backfire set by (the suspect) was in an area that posed a significant risk to the public, property, and safety personnel engaged in firefighting activities on the Thompson Fire,” Cal Fire said.
The backfire, according to firefighters, was set to protect property from the Thompson Fire, a large wildfire that sparked Tuesday morning on Cherokee Road between the city of Oroville and Lake Oroville and the dam infrastructure. As of Friday morning, the wildfire has charred 3,789 acres and was 46% contained, according to Cal Fire BTU.
The man was booked into Butte County Jail in Chico in connection with one felony charge of recklessly starting a wildfire.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call Cal Fire at 530-538-7888 or the statewide arson hotline at 800-468-4408.
