Firefighters faced ‘extremely dangerous’ conditions yesterday as they battled to save a community of 8,000 residents, with lightning strikes threatening to worsen a blaze that has already killed no fewer than two people and become California’s biggest fire of the year.
Africa Today News, New York reports that thousands of people were displaced from their homes as a result of the swiftly spreading McKinney Fire, which has burned more than 55,000 acres (22,000 hectares) close to the Oregon border.
In the meantime, the National Weather Service issued a warning due to the possibility of dry lightning, which are strong electrical strikes that occur in the absence of much-needed rain.
‘These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing fire to spread in any direction,’ said CalFire, an interagency website that collates fire information.
California, along with much of the western United States, is in the grip of its worst drought in more than 1,000 years.
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The drought, exacerbated by man-made climate change, has left the countryside parched and exceedingly vulnerable to the wildfires that naturally break out, making the blazes hotter, faster and more destructive.
The McKinney Fire on Sunday claimed its first human lives, with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office saying firefighters found two people dead inside a burned-out car in the driveway of a home in the town of Klamath River.
Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue said the pair were likely caught in the swift-moving blaze as they tried to flee.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County, and more than 2,000 residents of the rural area are under evacuation orders.
“I’m holding out trying not to leave too soon because I’m helping out my mom. She’s not in the best physical health to get around,” Rafael Franco, a resident who is in the mandatory evacuation area, told AFP.
“At the last minute if I see the fire cross the ridge where we are, we are going to head out and grab what we can and get going and hope for the best.”
Marjie Lawrence, who fled Klamath River on Friday night, said she went back to retrieve some belongings in case the fire spread to her home.
“We are taking stuff in case the house goes, we are taking things we want, but not too many,” she said.
A heat wave with temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), tinder-dry terrain and thunderstorms packing strong winds are complicating the efforts of firefighters battling the blaze.
“Fire growth is expected to spread in all directions,” the Klamath National Forest service said in a statement.
“Warning for thunderstorms and lightning. Gusty outflow winds of 30 to 50 mph (50 to 80 kph) will be possible near thunderstorm cells.”
According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the fire has destroyed more than 100 structures — including homes, a grocery store and a community center — in the area surrounding Yreka, though it has not yet encroached upon the town of about 7,800 people.
“Surrounding areas should be ready to leave if needed. Please don’t hesitate to evacuate,” the county sheriff tweeted.
The McKinney fire is California’s largest wildfire so far this year — though it remains much smaller than last year’s Dixie Fire, which burned nearly one million acres.