The blaze, dubbed the McKinney Fire, broke out Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border and has since burned more than 52,000 acres, moving toward homes and forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate Saturday, authorities said.
Heavy smoke over the fire helped slow its growth Sunday but also kept firefighting planes on the ground, the U.S. Forest Service said in an update Sunday night.
By the end of the weekend, the blaze was 0% contained and firefighters face a long battle ahead as lightning and storms complicated efforts as flames escaped through vegetation dry
Oregon state Rep. Dacia Grayber was camping with her husband, both firefighters, near the California state line when they woke up to orange skies, gusts of hot wind, lightning and blowing ash, he said on Twitter. They evacuated the campsite knowing that one of them might return to deployment if the fire grows. “In over 22 years of fire, I’ve never experienced anything like this fire behavior at night. It felt absolutely surreal and not just a little apocalyptic.” Grayber tweeted. The area remained under a red flag warning as a threat of dry lightning, high winds, high temperatures and low humidity created dangerous fire conditions overnight Sunday. “Abundant lightning” is expected through Monday, as well as scattered thunderstorms that could spread the flames further, according to the National Weather Service. “These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing the fire to spread in any direction,” Forest Service officials said in a news release.
Dry thunderstorms that occurred over the weekend happen when rain evaporates before it hits the ground, leaving only lightning capable of starting new fires and fueling existing ones, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.
At an estimated 52,498 acres, the McKinney Fire has become California’s largest wildfire so far this year, Cal Fire Capt. Chris Bruno told CNN.
And it’s not the only thing fire crews have to contend with. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 10 separate wildfires in the Klamath National Forest, forest officials said.
The fires generated their own weather in the form of pyrocumulus clouds, which are created from the intense heat of the fire forcing the air to rise. Tor Mason was one of hundreds evacuated due to the McKinney fire. He said he and his friends fled their home and arrived at the Klamath River Community Center, only to find the fire closing in, he told CNN affiliate KDRV.
“When I got to the community center it was almost on fire. I’m like, shit, this is not good,” Mason said. “So I put the…pedal to the metal and boogied…I heard this morning that it went up in flames.”
Persistent drought conditions in California have set the stage for rapid wildfire spread, with fires burning extremely dry and receptive fuels, according to the Forest Service.
Fire activity has been extreme, with flames rising higher and farther, according to firefighters.
“The Klamath National Forest is a big, beautiful forest, but it also has steep, rugged terrain. And with that, along with the high temperatures, low humidity, they all come into play and make it a dangerous situation. very extreme fire right now,” Tom Stokesberry of the US Forest Service told CNN affiliate KTVL.
A total of 648 fire brigades have concentrated on the fire, attacking the flames from the ground and air and working to defend the evacuated houses.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Siskiyou County on Saturday, saying the fire has destroyed homes and threatened critical infrastructure. Cal Fire said no information was available on structures damaged by the McKinney fire, although Stokesberry told KTVL there were unconfirmed reports of structures lost. On Saturday, about 60 people were evacuated from the Pacific Crest Trail as the fire approached, Jackson County Sheriff McKinney said. The Oregon office said on its Facebook page, noting that the hikers were rescued from the “California side of the Red Buttes Wilderness.” Conditions could improve Monday as the chance for isolated dry storms moves north, Shackelford said. There’s also a chance for up to 2 inches of rain to fall on the area, which could help firefighters battle the McKinney fire.
CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Tina Burnside, Amanda Jackson, Robert Shackelford and Claire Colbert contributed to this report.