Gov. Newsom Proclaims State Of Emergency Over Butte County Thompson Fire

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Butte County on Wednesday over the growing Thompson Fire in Butte County, just outside the town of Oroville.

Wildfire state of emergencies have been a constant announcement during Newsom’s two terms of office. While the most destructive year on record, 2018, highlighted by the disastrous Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise, occurred during the tenure of former Governor Jerry Brown, Newsom has seen the largest wildfire seasons fall under his time as Governor. This included the largest wildfire year to date, 2020, where around 4% of the state’s land was touched by such fires.

However, thanks to major ‘bomb cyclone’ storms in the past few years, the number of wildfires have drastically gone down. The 2023 wildfire season had the lowest total number of wildfires dating back to 2016, with the second lowest number going back to 2010. Overall, it was the fourth weakest season since the turn of the millennium. Even with a quieter season last year, Newsom still declared a few wildfire state of emergencies, with the last two coming in August 2023 when he called for a state of emergency over two fires in Siskyou County and Del Norte County respectively near the Oregon border.

That streak ended this week when the Thompson Fire started early in the morning on Tuesday. While it is still unknown what caused the blaze, the National Weather Service said that a heat wave going through the state caused many areas to dry out, creating optimal conditions for a fire. The Thompson Fire quickly spread fast in Butte County outside of Oroville. By Wednesday, the fire was at 3,568 acres with 0% contained. So far 13,000 people have evacuated.

The state secured a FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) late on Tuesday, foreshadowing that the Thompson Fire was expected to continue growing before it could even begin to be contained. This was confirmed by Governor Newsom on Wednesday where, after a meeting with Cal FIRE and Cal OES, he declared a state of emergency over the growing Thompson Fire.

“We are using every available tool to tackle this fire and will continue to work closely with our local and federal partners to support impacted communities,” said Newsom in a statement on Wednesday. “As we head into some of the most challenging months of wildfire season, the state is better prepared than ever to protect at-risk communities with new tools, technology and resources.”

In a post on X, Newsom added “In response to the Thompson Fire, we have proclaimed a state of emergency in Butte County. California is using every available tool to tackle this fire & will continue to support impacted communities.”

In response to the Thompson Fire, we have proclaimed a state of emergency in Butte County.

California is using every available tool to tackle this fire & will continue to support impacted communities.

For real-time information on active fires, visit https://t.co/jBK8AuvDkt. pic.twitter.com/SroIhbnwbN

— California Governor (@CAgovernor) July 3, 2024

“Right now, it’s still up in the air if this will be a bad wildfire season or something closer to what we saw last year,” said wildfire researcher Tom Alvarez to the Globe on Wednesday. “It also depends on if these heat conditions continue or we somehow get a respite of rain.

“Newsom’s response was fine. It’s a bad situation up there, he got federal help, and now the state is shifting resources there. He’s still being a little flashy over this. I mean, check out his X post. You can tell his press people set up that shot with him in front of the helicopter. But he’s taking this seriously. Let’s just get out emergency workers the help they need now and fight that fire.”

More on the fire is expected to be released soon by Cal FIRE.