California wildfire updates: Progress on Thompson Fire in Butte, Moccasin Fire in El Dorado
Cal Fire air tankers and hundreds of personnel have ascended across the state Friday to make further progress in controlling several notable wildfires burning in Northern and Central California, the largest being the Basin Fire in Fresno. The Thompson Fire is the largest in north of Sacramento, causing several hundred Butte County residents to remain evacuated.
Crews made progress overnight in containing the Thompson Fire that started Tuesday. The blaze burning in grass and oak woodlands has charred 3,789 acres (nearly 6 square miles) but is 46% contained as of 10 a.m., Cal Fire’s Butte County unit said — significant progress from Thursday’s figure of 7%.
Twenty-five structures of unspecified types have been destroyed by the fire, including one confirmed residence, and three other potential houses. Four firefighters were injured during the initial response Tuesday but no further injuries have been reported.
Some evacuation orders remain in place, including the Lakeland Boulevard and Oregon Gulch zones, along with many evacuation warnings still in effect, in Kelly Ridge and Loafer Creek on Lake Oroville. Evacuation warnings are voluntary, and many evacuation orders are reduced to warnings as areas become safer for occupation.
Tim Richter, a spokesman for Cal Fire BTU and the Thompson Fire’s response team, said Thursday during a briefing that areas along Cherokee Road up to Oregon Gulch and Oregon City outside the fire’s perimeter have been repopulated.
Richter said that crews were working to strengthen the control lines around the fire and getting residents back into their homes. Upwards of 26,000 residents have been evacuated since the blazes began.
Other notable fires burning in California
▪ The state’s largest fire, the Basin Fire burning in Fresno County, has blackened 14,027 acres of the Sierra National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service said in an update Friday. The fire, which has been burning since June 26, has moved into inaccessible terrain on the northern perimeter.
The area where flames continue is very steep and Forest Service officials has deployed a team to build a helicopter pad to help aid in firefighters’ efforts. A rappelling crew was sent to the Dinkey Creek drainage area to create the makeshift pad, which will also resources and personnel to be flown in.
Despite the difficult conditions, crews have kept the fire’s footprint from growing, Forest Service officials said in a Friday update. The blaze is 46% contained.
Areas above Pine Flat Reservoir remain under an evacuation order.
▪ Although calmer winds overnight have helped slow the French Fire in Mariposa County, Cal Fire reported that the 843-acre blaze was only 5% contained. Authorities said crews were shifting their focus to the fire’s eastern flank, which is nearing the boundaries of Yosemite National Park along Highways 49 and 140 corridors.
Evacuation orders for residents near the French Fire include roads surrounding Highway 140, Slaughterhouse Road and Mariposa Street. A number of evacuation warnings have also been posted by Cal Fire.
▪ All evacuations have been lifted in the Moccasin Fire that burned 51 acres and was 60% contained in El Dorado County near Somerset, Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado unit reported.
No structure damage or injuries have been reported.
▪ The Meiss Fire in eastern Sacramento County, south of Rancho Murieta, has been contained at 18 acres. The fire broke out Thursday afternoon and ran through dried grass for more than an hour before Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and Cal Fire AEU crews were able to control it.
▪ The Adams Fire, near Clear Lake along Highway 53 in Lake County, was 90% contained after burning 16 acres. A man from Wheatland was arrested in connection with the fire’s ignition. Investigators said the suspect used a weed trimmer in dangerously dry conditions.
▪ The Toll Fire, a 41-acre fire in Napa County, was 60% contained Friday morning, and all evacuations had been dropped, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit said.
How many acres have burned so far?
Cal Fire said since Jan. 1, 3,243 wildfires they’ve responded to have scorched 145,112 acres across the state, a major jump from this time last year, when 8,491 acres burned in the state agency’s area of responsibility. The five-year average at this point in the year is 33,597 acres.
That means in 2024, wildfires have overtaken 17 times more space than last year, a 332% increase over the five-year average.
