Crews made steady progress overnight against a Northern California wildfire that has thousands of people under evacuation orders, but wind gusts and continued hot temperatures on Thursday could pose problems on a searing hot July Fourth, officials said.

The Thompson Fire near the city of Oroville in Butte County stayed roughly the same size and containment was still 7%, which was the same as Wednesday night, said Kevin Colburn, information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), said.

There were 17,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings, according to Kristi Olio, public information officer for Butte County. Previous reports of 26,000 people being under orders or warnings were inaccurate, she said, adding that the fire has unfolded so quickly that it has been difficult to get firm figures.

A firefighter climbs to the top of the back of a fire engine. Its break lights are on and there is smoke everywhere.
Containment of the Thompson Fire remained at 7% (Noah Berger/AP)

“We’re going to evaluate and see if we can open up some areas,” Mr Colburn said.

The Thompson Fire broke out before noon on Tuesday, about 70 miles (110km) north of Sacramento. It sent up a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from space as it grew to more than 5.5 square miles (14 square kilometres).

An Associated Press photographer saw fire burn three adjacent suburban-style homes in Oroville.

A firefighter runs through smoke filled forest, fire burns in the background
There are 17,000 people under evacuation orders as a result of the fire (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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 dropped water. 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.

More than a dozen other blazes, most of them small, are active across the state, according to Cal Fire.