BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — The Oroville man accused of starting the Thompson Fire in Butte County was formally charged with arson Monday. Prosecutors say he admitted to throwing a firework from a moving vehicle.
According to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, 26-year-old Spencer Grant Anderson is charged with arson of an inhabited structure, arson of forest land and arson causing multiple structures to burn.
The fire started just before 11 a.m. July 2 on Cherokee Road, an unincorporated area northeast of Oroville. Prosecutors say it was a ‘Red Flag Day,’ due to high temperatures, high winds and low humidity.
Within a matter of hours, the fire spread into the city of Oroville causing evacuations. Prosecutors say it destroyed 13 residential structures and damaged/destroyed a total of 34 structures.
Cal Fire investigators spoke with witnesses and 911 callers. They found a Toyota sedan was seen in the area around the same time the fire started.
On July 3, investigators identified Anderson as the driver through license plate readers. He was put under surveillance and prosecutors started building their case.
“For 50 days, CAL FIRE devoted 4 to 6 investigators per day, brought in from around the state, to continuously watch Anderson as other investigators meticulously built the case,” said DA Michael Ramsey. “If Anderson had chosen to light another fire, we were confident the surveillance personnel would be able to detect and stop the fire before it could get out of control.”
Investigators found the fire likely started by a flaming object thrown from the Toyota. They served search warrants on Aug. 22 and arrested Anderson.
The district attorney’s office says he admitted to purchasing fireworks the morning of the fire and then went up Cherokee Road to ‘test one’ by throwing it from the window.
He’s expected back in court Aug. 28.
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