Fast-moving Butte County wildfire forces evacuations; Bay Area crews join fight

A fast-moving wildfire in Northern California has forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and already has reached at least one neighborhood, destroying multiple structures.

The Thompson Fire in Butte County erupted near Oroville just before 11 a.m. Tuesday and by Wednesday morning had grown to more than 3,000 acres, with zero containment, according to Cal Fire.

Thousands of people are under evacuation orders, and firefighters are focused on protecting homes and other structures. Fire departments from across the Bay Area were on the fire lines or on their way to help.

Several local fire departments are sending strike teams to assist in defending against the Butte County fire.

The San Francisco Fire Department says 18 of its firefighters left for Butte County, and crews from San Jose, Milpitas and San Mateo also are in the fire zone.

No injuries were reported as of Wednesday morning.

Evacuation centers in Butte County were set up at the Nazarene Church in Oroville and the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley.

For more information on the fire and the evacuation zones, visit Cal Fire’s official incident web page.