Oroville man allegedly threw firework out of car window, starting destructive Thompson fire [View all]

A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with arson in the Thompson fire, which torched 3,789 acres in the Northern California town of Oroville in early July.

Spencer Grant Anderson, an Oroville resident, was arrested in Chico on Thursday. He was charged Monday with arson of an inhabited structure, arson of forest land and arson causing multiple structures to burn, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The charges came after an extensive 50-day investigation by a team of Cal Fire investigators brought in from around the state. At any given time, four to six investigators had Anderson under 24/7 surveillance while others conducted a forensic investigation at the intersection of Cherokee and Thompson Flat roads, the site where the fire started, Cal Fire said.

Hours into the investigation, the team concluded that the fire was likely caused by a flaming object thrown from a Toyota sedan. By July 3, a day after the fire started, they linked the car to Anderson using license plate readers.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-26/oroville-california-man-charged-arson-thompson-fire