It is fanned by strong winds, destroying homes and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The fire dubbed “McKinney”, the largest of the year in California, has already destroyed more than 20,638 hectares of the Klamath National Forest, near the town of Yreka in the north of the state. And it continues its progression through the arid regions of the western American state, the CalFire firefighting agency said on Sunday evening.
The “McKinney” is the most important forest fire since the beginning of the year in California, already hit by several other fires this summer. State Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the blaze had “destroyed homes” and “threatened critical infrastructure” since its outbreak on Friday.
More than 2,000 residents have been issued evacuation orders, according to the California governor’s office of emergency services, mostly in Siskiyou County. “Residents of the surrounding areas must be ready to leave if necessary. Please feel free to evacuate,” the county sheriff tweeted.
Nearly 650 people to put out the fire
Larry Castle, a resident of Yreka, told the newspaper Sacramento Bee that he and his wife had packed a few things and taken their three dogs before leaving the premises for the night. Other fires in recent years have taught them that the situation could become “very, very serious”.
Nearly 650 people intervened on Sunday to put out the fire, according to the National Forest Fire Coordination Group. The fire season in California, a state in a persistent drought situation, is expected to last several months. In recent years, California and other parts of the western United States have been ravaged by rapid and large fires as a result of global warming.