2 dead as McKinney Fire explodes over 55,000 acres in California
A fire out of control in a national forest in northern California and threatening a town of nearly 8,000 people has quickly become the state’s largest wildfire this year, officials said.
The McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border had burned 55,493 acres and was 0% contained as of Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.
The fire grew nearly 3,000 acres overnight as gusty winds helped spread it through a dry powder keg of tall grass, brush and wood, according to Cal Fire.
Two people were found dead in their car in a driveway in the town of Klamath River, Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC News. Firefighters said they suspected the pair were caught in the fast-moving blaze as they tried to flee, according to the sheriff. Other rescue teams were due to search the area on Monday.
Flames burn in the Klamath River during the McKinney Wildfire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California on July 31, 2022.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images
The fire started around 2:15 p.m. Friday and prompted the closure of Highway 96 in the area and the evacuation of several communities, including the partial evacuation of Yreka, Calif., officials said.
It was feared that thunderstorms over the fire area could have started more fires, officials said. But that same storm system was also carrying a significant amount of moisture, significantly slowing the fire’s spread over the past 24 hours, the sheriff said Monday.
A kitten with burnt whiskers who survived the McKinney Fire hides under rocks in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, California July 31, 2022. California’s largest fire this year forces thousands to evacuate as it destroys homes and tears through the state’s dry terrain, whipped by high winds and thunderstorms.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images
“We feel pretty good” about protecting Yreka, whose western fringes were threatened by the fire, he told ABC News.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News on Sunday afternoon that more than 100 structures had been destroyed, including the homes of several deputies who continued to work despite being personally under orders. ‘evacuation.
Most of the lost structures are along the Klamath River, which parallels Highway 96, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. The Klamath River Community Hall in Klamath River was also among the destroyed structures, officials said.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said search parties rescued about 60 hikers from a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, a popular hiking trail that connects Canada to Mexico.
A deer walks through smoke in the community of Klamath River, which burned in the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest, northwest of Yreka, California, July 31, 2022.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images
sergeant. Shawn Richards of Jackson County Search and Rescue told reporters the hikers were not in immediate danger. He said that with the fire rapidly spreading, unpredictable winds and smoke reducing visibility to around 20ft, the decision was made to rescue hikers before conditions worsened.
Red flag fire danger warnings were issued for the area on Sunday and remained in effect Monday as temperatures, according to the National Weather Service, are expected to reach 90 to 100 degrees.
Spillover winds gusting to 30 to 50 mph and thunderstorms are forecast for the area Monday, according to Cal Fire.
The McKinney Fire burns off Highway 96 in Siskiyou County, California on July 31, 2022.
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“Strong gusty outflow winds will continue to drive extreme fire behavior,” Cal Fire said in its fire incident report on Sunday.
At least 849 firefighters are battling the blaze on the ground and from the air with helicopters and air tankers, Cal Fire said Monday.
“Really erratic winds from the start of the incident until now,” Kelsey Lofdah, a U.S. Forest Service firefighter, told ABC San Francisco’s KGO station of the difficult firefighting conditions. “Pretty extreme fire behavior throughout shift.”
The Yreka Police Department issued evacuation orders for a neighborhood in the western part of town “due to its proximity to the fire” about 20 km away.
A burnt-out pickup truck sits on property off Highway 96 in Klamath River, July 31, 2022. The McKinney Fire is burning in western Siskiyou County, California. McKinney fire
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“Please leave IMMEDIATELY,” the police department wrote in the evacuation order.
The police department also issued evacuation warnings to residents of all areas of the community west of Interstate 5.
The cause of the fire is being investigated and emergency management officials are assessing the damage.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday declared a state of emergency for Siskiyou County due to the effects of the McKinney Fire. A state of emergency frees up more state resources to use in fighting the fire, including sending more firefighters and equipment to the scene.
The McKinney Fire surpassed the Oak Fire in Mariposa County near Yosemite as the largest wildfire in the state this year, according to Cal Fire. The Oak Fire, which began July 22, was 64% contained Sunday after burning 19,244 acres and destroying 182 structures, including more than 100 homes, officials said.
ABC News’ Jennifer Watts and Izzy Alvarez contributed to this report.
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