The man charged with starting the Thompson Fire appeared in Butte County Superior Court on Wednesday, to set a date for his jury trial Spencer Anderson is accused of igniting the Thompson Fire in July 2024, in which investigators allege he discharged a firework from his moving vehicle in the area of Cherokee Road in Oroville. The blaze grew rapidly, burning over 3,700 acres and prompting the evacuation of around 13,000 residents. According to Cal Fire Butte County's Damage Inspection Team, 13 homes were destroyed as a result. Anderson faces a potential sentence of 21 years in state prison due to a prior felony strike conviction of felony threat. The jury trial is now scheduled to begin on August 25.