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| Photo Credit: AP. |
California is experiencing its largest fire of the year 2022 as Western fire burns out of control and crews brace for thunderstorms and hot windy conditions. Firefighters fought to protect remote communities as fears grew over additional fire growth Sunday.
McKinney Fie burns out of control in Klamath National Forest
The McKinney
Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National
Forest, with expected thunderstorms Sunday just south of the Oregon state line,
said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman, The Associated Press
reports.
“The fuel
beds are so dry and they can just erupt from that lightning,” Freeman said.
“These thunder cells come with gusty erratic winds that can blow fire in every
direction.”
The blaze
exploded in size to more than 80 square miles (207 square km) just two days
after starting in a largely unpopulated area of Siskiyou County, The Associated
Press cited a Sunday incident report.
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| Photo Credit: AP. |
Several
trees were torched along California Highway 96, and the scorched remains of a
pickup truck were found in a lane of the highway. Thick smoke reportedly covered
the area and flames burned through hillsides.
Town of Seiad threatened by smaller fire sparked by dry lightning
A second,
smaller fire just to the west that was sparked by dry lightning Saturday
threatened the tiny town of Seiad, Freeman said, according to The Associated
Press. About 400 structures were threatened by the two California fires.
500 homes evacuated after third fire on Southwest McKinney
Residents in
500 homes were evacuated Sunday after a third fire started on the southwest end
of the McKinney blaze, The Associated Press quoted Courtney Kreider, a
spokesperson with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The office noted that crews
had been on the scene of the fire since late Saturday but that the fire Sunday
Morning “became active and escaped its containment line.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the McKinney fire grew out of proportion. The proclamation according to The Associated Press allows Newsom to have a more flexible emergency response, make recovery effort decisions and access federal aid.
California
law enforcement knocked on doors in the towns of Yreka and Fort Jones to urge
residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock onto trailers,
according to The Associated Press.