Man arrested on suspicion of arson in destructive Thompson fire in Butte County

BUTTE COUNTY – More than a month after the Thompson Fire After more than a dozen homes were destroyed in the Oroville area of ​​Butte County, Cal Fire officials say they have arrested a man suspected of setting the fire.

Cal Fire said that within the first 24 hours, police officers determined the fire was caused by arson and identified a suspect. Officers then monitored the suspect while they closed the case.

Cal Fire officials said they arrested Spencer Anderson, 26, of Oroville, on suspicion of arson Thursday. He was booked into jail on wilderness and building arson charges, with an enhanced penalty for destroying five or more inhabited structures.

Anderson is being held in jail without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.

On July 2, the Thompson Fire broke out near Cherokee Road, burning nearly 3,800 acres of land and destroying 13 homes. Up to 17,000 people had to be evacuated.

Harold Pulley, a 61-year-old Oroville man, was arrested days after the fire started for setting a backfire hours after it started. He was accused of using a propane torch to burn about half an acre of land in a high-risk area.

The fire also caused the Hyatt power plant to go offline and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

Park fire

A man accused of starting California's fourth largest forest firethe Park Fire, pleaded not guilty to arson charges, Butte County prosecutors said Thursday.

Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico, was arrested on July 25a day after the fire broke out in Chico's Upper Bidwell Park.

The fire devastated approximately 430,000 acres in Butte and Tehama counties. It destroyed 637 buildings.