Officials in a Northern California community canceled an annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration as an estimated 26,000 residents remained displaced by a growing wildfire, while hundreds of firefighters toiled under extreme heat to keep flames from reaching more homes.

The Thompson fire broke out before noon Tuesday about 70 miles north of Sacramento, near the city of Oroville in Butte County. It sent up a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from space as it grew to more than 5.5 square miles.

Read: Metro burn bans now include Multnomah, Washington, Clark, Clackamas counties

Oroville Mayor David Pittman said there was a “significant drop in the fire activity” Wednesday, and he was hopeful that some residents could soon be allowed to return home.

The fire’s progress was stopped along the southern edge, and firefighters working in steep terrain were trying to build containment lines on the northern side. By Wednesday evening, containment stood at 7%.

“On that north side they have some real struggles in terms of the topography,” Pittman said.

More than a dozen other blazes, most of them small, were active across the state, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. A new fire Wednesday afternoon prompted brief evacuations in heavily populated Simi Valley, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

California’s largest blaze, the Basin Fire, covered nearly 22 square miles of the Sierra National Forest in eastern Fresno County and was 26% contained.

In Oroville, a state of emergency was declared Tuesday night and evacuation centers were set up. The evacuation zone expanded Wednesday into foothills and rural areas beyond the city of about 20,000 people.

With July Fourth in mind, authorities warned that fireworks are banned in many places, including most of Butte County. Authorities also cited the ongoing evacuations and damage caused by the Thompson fire for the cancellation of Oroville’s fireworks show, which had been specially permitted.

California State Parks officials said in a statement that many agencies have a large number of resources responding to the blaze and are working to get everyone back home as quickly as possible.

“These agencies also have employees with families displaced by these evacuations who are tirelessly assisting the community of Lake Oroville,” the statement read.

Authorities warned of full legal consequences for any illegal use of fireworks.

“Don’t be an idiot, cause a fire and create more problems for us,” Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said. “No one in the community is going to want that.”

There was no immediate official report on property losses. An Associated Press photographer saw fire burn three adjacent suburban-style homes in Oroville.

The fire ignited sprigs of grass poking from the concrete edges of Lake Oroville as gusty winds whipped up American flags lining a bend of the state’s second largest reservoir and the nation’s tallest dam.

Residents standing on hillsides watched the orange glow as aircraft made water drops. A crew of more than a dozen firefighters saved one home as goats and other farm animals fled.

The cause of the blaze was being investigated. Red flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions were in effect when it erupted.

“The conditions out there that are in our county this summer are much different than we’ve experienced the last two summers,” said Garrett Sjolund, Butte County unit chief for Cal Fire, during a briefing. “The fuels are very dense, brush is dry. And as you can see, any wind will move a fire out very quickly.”

The conditions led the utility Pacific Gas & Electric to shut off power in some parts Northern California to prevent fires from being ignited by downed or damaged wires.

In Southern California, Joshua Tree National Park officials closed Covington Flats — an area with most of the park’s important Joshua tree populations — on Wednesday because of extreme fire risk after spring rains led to abundant grass that has now dried.

— The Associated Press

If you have an old rod in your closet that’s been gathering dust, because you don’t have a fishing license, now’s the time to whip it out. It’s Free Fishing Day this Saturday, July 6, in all of California — meaning you don’t need a license, just the will to go find a hole to toss a bobber in.

This is the first of California’s two free fishing days in 2024, with the other arriving on Aug. 31.

“For those new to fishing, this is an opportunity to explore a rewarding and exciting new hobby,” writes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “For licensed anglers, this is an opportunity to introduce or reintroduce someone else to the joys of becoming an angler. Free fishing days are also a perfect time for former anglers to return and reconnect to the activity.”

That doesn’t mean that Saturday will be the Wild West out there, with people gathering armloads of flapping fish. All regulations remain in effect regarding fishing hours, bag and size limits, report-card requirements, stream closures and gear restrictions. You can find more about the rules of California fishing at the wildlife department’s website (wildlife.ca.gov/regulations).

Not sure where to head? The department has several useful guides — especially for those who live in urban areas — on where to find fish. Here are a few to start with:

•  Interactive map showing historically good places to fish, as well as locations that have recently had fish planting (restocking): apps.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing

•  A guide on California’s Fishing in the City Program, which has learn-to-fish videos and also fishing locations broken down by counties: (wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing-in-the-City/SF)

•  A list and zoomable map of California’s public piers, jetties and breakwaters: wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Beach-Fishing

•  Species of fish you might want to look for in California: wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland

•  And if you decide you’d like to do more fishing in the future, here’s where to get your annual license: ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales

Shocking cellphone video captured the moment an entitled Mercedes owner slapped an autistic boy for touching his car’s hood ornament while the child was walking along a California street on Monday.

Alfredo Morales, 10, was with his older sister crossing the street at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Osbourne Street in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles on July 1.

The siblings were heading to a bus stop for their daily food run when young Alfredo reached out and touched the Mercedes-Benz emblem on the front of the luxury sedan when it was stopped at a red light at the intersection, according to KTLA.

The curious grab angered the driver, who made an immediate U-turn and confronted the two sitting on the bus stop’s bench.

“Sorry, he is autistic,” the sister says in Spanish in the video. “He has special needs.”

Morales’ older sister attempted to stand between her brother and the man as a smiling Alfredo reached out to the new visitor.

The older sibling’s attempt at creating a barricade didn’t work as the driver slapped the boy across his face before walking back to his car.

Following the slap, the unidentified driver gets out of his car and examines the front emblem, appearing to move it around before driving off, the cellphone video captured.

Alfredo’s parents told the outlet they were angry about the incident and explained because of their son’s autism, he often explores the environment around him through touch.

Alfredo’s father, Miguel Morales, is looking for answers and seeking justice for his son.

The older Morales, said he is going to file a police report into the incident, along with the footage from the video, according to KTLA.

A call was made to the Los Angeles Police Department at the time of the incident but by the time officers arrived at the bus, everyone was gone, Foz 11 LA reported.

The 2023 S-class sedan was purchased in Valencia in April of 2024 and cost around $146,000, according to the Daily Mail.