Yreka, US: Around two have died, said authorities who found them in a vehicle in the path of a raging Northern California wildfire that is one of several major blazes burning across the U.S. West amid hot, dry, gusty conditions.
The McKinney Fire ripped through the state’s dry terrain forcing thousands to evacuate in the vicinity of the Klamath National Forest. Just south of the Oregon state line, the forest witnessed heat that exploded in size to more than 82 square miles (212 square km) after erupting Friday in a largely unpopulated area. At least 2,000 residents, as well as trekkers on the Pacific Crest hiking trail, have left the area.
Around 650 firefighters are engaged in dousing the fire, results of which seem to be nil as of Monday morning, the fire service reported.
A state of emergency was declared in Siskiyou county on Saturday, after homes were destroyed and infrastructure was threatened, state governor Gavin Newsom said. The fire was “intensified and spread by dry fuels, extreme drought conditions, high temperatures, winds and lightning storms”, he added.
Oregon state Rep. Dacia Grayber was camping with her husband, both firefighters, near the California state line when they woke up to orange skies, hot wind gusts, lightning and blowing ash, she said on Twitter. They evacuated from the campground knowing one of them may return on deployment if the fire grows.
“In 22+ yrs of fire, I’ve never experienced anything like this fire behaviour at night. It felt absolutely surreal and not just a little apocalyptic,” she wrote.