According to Cal Fire, the McKinney Fire in Siskiyou County’s Klamath National Forest had consumed 51,468 acres as of Sunday morning and was 0% controlled.
According to Cal Fire officials, the wildfire, which is currently the worst in California this year, started on Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest close to the California-Oregon border and forced the closure of a section of Highway 96.
Strong winds, poor lighting, and exceptionally dry, responsive fuels caused by the region’s drought conditions have all contributed to the wildfire’s rapid growth, according to fire authorities.
Due to the possibility of dry lightning and high winds, which can cause the fire to spread in any direction and are “very risky” for firefighters, the National Weather Service issued red-flag warnings for the area on Sunday.
The China 2 Fire, the Evans Fire, and the Kelsey Creek Flames are three more, smaller fires in the county that firefighters are battling to put out at the same time.
The McKinney and China 2 Fire became active overnight, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, and their top priorities on Sunday were safeguarding evacuees’ property and performing life-saving measures.
“Crews were actively engaged in structure protection overnight, especially in the Klamath River area. Little progression was observed on the fire’s edge closest to Yreka City,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook.
On the California side of the Red Buttes Wilderness, on Sunday, authorities from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Search & Rescue, and Rogue Valley Transportation District assisted in evacuating at least 63 Pacific Crest Trail hikers.
Although Jackson County was being affected by smoke and ash from the fire, the sheriff’s office said that as of Sunday afternoon, there was no immediate threat to the neighborhood. Residents were given a warning by the sheriff’s office that things might change “any minute.”
In order to use additional resources to fight the wildfire, Siskiyou County received a state of emergency declaration from California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday. Newsom said that 2,000 county residents were under evacuation orders and that an unspecified number of homes had been burned by the wildfire.