California Wildfire Threatens Popular Tourist Destination

A spring tourist destination is at serious risk! Wildfire is rapidly spreading here and now it’s on over 3,000 acres.

The Thompson wildfire in Butte County is edging closer to the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve. This reserve is renowned for its stunning display of wildflowers from March to early May. North Table Mountain is a standout location in the north attracting many visitors during its peak bloom season.

The fire started on Tuesday near Oroville about 70 miles north of Sacramento and over 13,000 residents to evacuate.

Due to the wildfire the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has closed access to the reserve. Laura Drath from the department mentioned that the closure comes at a time when visitor numbers are typically low due to the intense summer heat.

“We are fortunate that the wildflower bloom season has already passed,” Drath explained in an interview with SFGATE. “North Table Mountain sees very few visitors during this time of year because it gets extremely hot.”

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Current maps from Cal Fire show the blaze approaching the reserve. However, Drath is optimistic about the plants’ resilience. “Grasses and wildflowers tend to regenerate very quickly, especially native plants that are adapted to fire,” she said. “We expect there won’t be significant long-term impacts on the wildflowers. With any luck, they should be back next spring as usual.”

The wildflower fields can be seen along the two-mile trail to Phantom Falls, another well-loved spot in the reserve.

Authorities are closely monitoring the fire’s progress and working to protect these natural treasures from further damage.