YERICA, Aug. 1 (BUS): Crews on the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms, hot conditions and winds that created the potential for additional fires to grow on Sunday as they sought to protect remote communities.
The McKinney fire was spinning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with thunderstorms expected Sunday just south of Line Oregon, US Forest Service spokesman Adrian Freeman said, The Associated Press reported.
“Fuel ponds are very dry and can explode from this lightning,” Freeman said. “These thunder cells come with choppy, gusty winds that can blow fire in every direction.”
The fire exploded with a size of more than 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) just two days after it broke out in a largely uninhabited area of Siskiyou County, according to an incident report on Sunday. The cause was under investigation.
The fire set trees on fire along California Highway 96, and the charred remains of a pickup truck sat in a lane of the highway. Thick smoke covered the area and fires blazed across the hillsides within sight of homes. Sunday’s fire has cast a frightening orange-brown hue in a neighborhood where a brick chimney is surrounded by rubble and burnt cars.
Freeman said a second, smaller fire in the west that was sparked by dry lightning on Saturday threatened the small town of Siad. About 400 buildings were threatened by the California fire. Authorities have yet to confirm the extent of the damage, saying assessments will begin when it is safe to reach the area.
A third fire, in the southwest end of the McKinney fire, prompted evacuation orders for nearly 500 homes on Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The office said crews had been at the scene since late Saturday, but that the fire on Sunday morning “was active and escaped the containment line.”
She said several people in the mayor’s office have been affected by the fire evacuation orders and “are still showing up for work, (a) very dedicated staff.” She said a deputy lost his childhood home in a fire on Friday.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post late Sunday night that the McKinney fire was “still at 0%”.
With the McKinney fire threatened, some residents chose to stay behind while others heed orders to leave.
Larry Castle and his wife, Nancy, were among about 2,000 Yerika residents under eviction orders. They left on Saturday with some of their prized possessions, including Larry’s motorcycle, and took their dogs to stay with their daughter near Mount Shasta.
Larry Castle said he hasn’t taken any risks after witnessing the explosive growth of major fires in recent years.
“You look at the Paradise Fire and the Santa Rosa Fire and you realize that these things are very, very dangerous,” he told the Saramento Bee.
In northwest Montana, a grassland fire near the town of Elmo has grown to about 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) after advancing into the woods. Crews were working along the edges of the fire on Sunday, and aircraft are expected to continue to make water droplets and dampers to help slow the progress of the fire, Sarah Ross, a spokeswoman for the interagency team tasked with the fire, said. She added that high temperatures and erratic winds are expected.
A section of Interstate 28 between Hot Springs and Elmo has reopened, with drivers being asked to monitor the fire and emergency personnel. Ross said visibility in the area was poor.
In Idaho, a moose fire broke out in the Salmon-Chalise National Forest over 75 square miles (196 square kilometers) in woodlands near the town of Salmon. It was 21% contained by Sunday morning. Hot and dry conditions are expected to continue on Sunday, Bella Malolo, head of fire planning operations, said in a Facebook video update. Officials said they expect the fires to increase in the steep and rugged country on the southern side of the blaze.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the McKinney fire intensified. The announcement allows Newsom more flexibility to make decisions about emergency response and recovery efforts and to access federal aid.
California law enforcement has knocked on the gates of Yerica and Fort Johns to urge residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock on trailers. Automated calls were sent to landlines as well due to areas where there was no cell phone service.
Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and more frequent and destructive of wildfires.
The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to get to the nearest town while the US Forest Service closed a 110-mile (177 km) section of the trail from the summit of Etna to the Mount Ashland Campground in southern Oregon.
In Hawaii, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency said the brush fire was 90% contained, but a red flag warning was in effect most Sundays.
And in North Texas, firefighters continued their efforts to contain the two-week-old, 10 1/2-square-mile (27 1/3-square-kilometre) Chalk Mountain Fire. Crews have now reported 83% contained in the fire, which destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth. Injuries have been reported.
MI