Man charged with starting California’s Thompson Fire threw firework out car window, DA says
A blaze that razed 13 homes and temporarily displaced about 13,000 residents in Northern California last month was started by a man who sought to “test” a firework by throwing the lit pyrotechnic out his car window into vegetation amid hot and dry conditions, according to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.
Spencer Grant Anderson, 26, appeared Monday for his first court appearance, facing two felony charges related to arson of structures, according to online court records. Those charges are enhanced by allegations that multiple structures burned.
The Thompson Fire began about 10:50 a.m. July 2 at Cherokee Road, north of its intersection with Thompson Flat Road, at the bottom of a steep embankment. Embers flew about a quarter-mile away on high winds and ultimately charred miles of territory while inflicting damage on a total of 34 total structures, prosecutors said in a news release.
Cal Fire investigators went to the fire’s ignition point “shortly after the fire started” and determined the blaze began by arson, prosecutors said. Witnesses and 911 callers in interviews told investigators a Toyota sedan driver was in the area where the fire began, the release said.
Anderson was identified after law enforcement combed through license plate readers. He was under 24/7 surveillance for about 50 days as Cal Fire and investigators with the Butte County District Attorney’s Office built the criminal case, the release said.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Anderson’s home on Thursday and found “evidence further implicating Anderson in starting the Thompson Fire,” the release said. Cal Fire and District Attorney’s Office investigators arrested him, and he was booked into jail the same day.
During an interview with law enforcement, Anderson admitted to starting the blaze, prosecutors said.
“He admitted that on the morning of the fire, he purchased fireworks from a firework stand in Oroville, then went up Cherokee Road to ‘test one’ by throwing it out his car window,” the news release said.
Anderson is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a further arraignment, according to court records.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Man charged with starting California’s Thompson Fire threw firework out car window, DA says."
