Man arrested on suspicion of starting destructive Thompson Fire in Butte County
BUTTE COUNTY – More than a month after the Thompson Fire destroyed over a dozen homes in the Oroville area of Butte County, Cal Fire officials say they've arrested a man on suspicion of starting the fire.
Cal Fire said its law enforcement officers determined within the first 24 hours that the fire was caused by arson and they identified a suspect. The officers then monitored the suspect while they finalized the case.
Cal Fire officials said they arrested 26-year-old Spencer Anderson of Oroville on Thursday on suspicion of starting the fire. He was booked into jail on charges of arson to wildland and structures with an enhancement for destroying five or more inhabited structures.
Andreson is being held in jail without bail and is scheduled for arraignment on Monday.
The Thompson Fire broke out near Cherokee Road on July 2, burning nearly 3,800 acres and destroying 13 homes while forcing as many as 17,000 people to evacuate.
Harold Pulley, a 61-year-old Oroville man, was arrested a few days after the fire started for setting a backfire hours after the fire started. He was accused of using a propane torch to burn around a quarter of an acre in a high-risk area.
The fire also caused the Hyatt Powerplant to go offline and Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.
Park Fire
A man accused of starting California's fourth-largest wildfire, the Park Fire, pleaded not guilty to a charge of arson, Butte County prosecutors said on Thursday.
Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico, was arrested on July 25, the day after the fire started in Chico's Upper Bidwell Park.
The fire went on to burn around 430,000 acres across Butte and Tehama counties. It destroyed 637 structures.
