McKinney Fire In Northern California Becomes Largest Of Season

Firefighters battle an out-of-control Northern California wildfire near the Oregon state line, growing into the state’s largest wildfire this season in just a few days. 

The McKinney fire exploded in size late Sunday to more than 52,498. The fire remained at 0% contained, consuming dry vegetation in Klamath National Forest, near the city of Yreka. 

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, declared a state of emergency on Saturday. He said the wildfire “threatened critical infrastructure” and “destroyed homes” after breaking out on Friday. 

The fire was “intensified and spread by dry fuels, extreme drought conditions, high temperatures, winds, and lightning storms,” Newsom added. 

“These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing fire to spread in any direction,” forest service officials said.

The #McKinneyFire has exploded on the California/Oregon border over the last few days, and we may even see a bit of elevated smoke in northern Colorado. This will be the fire to watch over the next few weeks, and the main fire that could send smoke east into our mountains#cowx pic.twitter.com/ZYuUDgMFt3

— Sam Schreier (@SamASchreier) August 1, 2022

California Office of Emergency Services said more than 2,000 residents were under evacuation orders, and 200 were under evacuation warnings. Most of the evacuation warnings were in Siskiyou County. 

Here are videos from within the inferno. 

Guess who really protects and serves our communities with bravery ?#PowellFireCrew #BunkhouseBoyz getting after it on the #McKinneyFire in the #KlamathNF near the Oregon border in California.#CalFire#firefighters #IndigenousFirePractices #KlamathRiver pic.twitter.com/2JCDQQGn1J

— Lynn Schore (@LynnSchore) August 1, 2022

On their way back from rescuing a donkey from the #McKinneyFire, this family shows the mountain burning at night.#CalFire#animalrescue #donkey#FireSeason2022 pic.twitter.com/1DoXameAMm

— Lynn Schore (@LynnSchore) August 1, 2022

In #California, a #wildfire raging through Klamath National Forest has scorched more than 20,000 hectares. The fire has prompted the evacuation of 2000 residents. A red flag warning was raised, which indicates dangerous fire conditions. #McKinney pic.twitter.com/cYjHbz3oxe

— CGTN Global Watch (@GlobalWatchCGTN) August 1, 2022

Repost from @cbsnews
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The McKinney Fire raging in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest had burned through more than 51,000 acres as of Sunday morning and was at 0% containment, according to Cal Fire. Go to the link in bio for more.
😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 pic.twitter.com/vuXhcWf9HR

— _💪🏻💪🏻 (@_D_190) August 1, 2022

The Siskiyou County sheriff tweeted: “Surrounding areas should be ready to leave if needed. Please don’t hesitate to evacuate.”