Scorching temperatures on the Fourth of July fueled wildfires in California, with warnings of dangerously hot weather in the coming days. A large blaze near Yosemite National Park, called the French fire, began on Thursday and had burned through 908 acres by Friday night. Evacuations were in place, with some residents allowed to return home but others still under mandatory orders. The Thompson Fire in Butte County, which started on Tuesday, had burned almost 3,800 acres and was 55% contained as of Friday night. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate, but many were able to return home by Thursday. Lynette Bailey scrambled to get her 90-year-old father to a nearby shelter, as she had to stay outside in the heat with her dog. Many Fourth of July celebrations were canceled across California as temperatures exceeded 100 degrees, with some places reaching 110 degrees. Cal Fire and Butte County Fire Department arrested a 61-year-old man for starting a backfire, which was extinguished by firefighters. The man admitted to starting the fire with a propane torch and faced a felony charge. Oroville, where the fire was started, had previously been hit by the deadly Camp Fire in 2018.
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