Thousands of residents in Butte County, Northern California, have been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire continues to burn, fueled by soaring temperatures from an ongoing heat wave in the West. The fire, known as the Thompson Fire, has already scorched more than 3,000 acres in the North Oroville community and remains zero percent contained.
The city of Oroville, with a population of around 15,000, declared a local emergency as the fire posed a significant threat. Evacuation orders were issued for approximately 13,000 residents in communities east of Lake Oroville, with the fire spreading towards Olive Highway in the Kelly Ridge area.
