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California is battling its worst wildfire this year with more than 51,000 acres burned and evacuations on the rise.
The chaotic weather is threatening to make matters worse. Crews battling the McKinney Fire in Northern California were bracing for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday.
A fire truck drives along California Highway 96 as the McKinney Fire burns in the Klamath National Forest, California, on July 30, 2022.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with thunderstorms expected as a major concern Sunday just south of the Oregon state line, she said US Forest Service spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman.
“The fuel beds are so dry, and they can just come off that lightning,” Freeman said. “These thunderstorm cells come with gusty and erratic winds that can blow fire in any direction.”
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The fire has exploded in size to more than 80 square miles just two days after it broke out in a largely unpopulated area of Siskiyou County.
The fire engulfed trees along California Highway 96, and the charred remains of a pickup truck sat in a freeway lane. Thick smoke covered the area and flames burned through the hills within sight of the houses.
A horse graze in a pasture as the McKinney fire burns in the Klamath National Forest, California, on July 30, 2022.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A second smaller fire just to the west sparked by dry lightning on Saturday threatened the small town of Seiad. About 400 structures were threatened by the two California fires.
The third fire, which was at the southwest end of the McKinney blaze, prompted evacuation orders for about 500 homes Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokeswoman with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The office said that crews had been on the scene of the fire since late Saturday but that the fire on Sunday morning “became active and escaped its containment line.”
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As the McKinney fire threatened, some residents chose to stay behind while others heeded orders to leave.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the McKinney Fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access to federal aid.
A man runs to a truck as a wildfire called the McKinney Fire burns in the Klamath National Forest, California, on July 30, 2022.
(AP Photo/Noah Berger)
California law enforcement knocked on doors in the towns of Yreka and Fort Jones to encourage residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock on trailers. Automated calls were being sent to landlines as well because there were areas without cell phone service.