A vicious California wildfire swells a staggering 62 times in size overnight
Ahmedabad: A wildfire in California grew to the largest the state has seen yet this year, as firefighting crews braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions.
The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in northern California’s Klamath national forest, near the Oregon border, with expected thunderstorms a big concern, said US Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman.
“The fuel beds are so dry and they can just erupt from that lightning. These thunder cells come with gusty erratic winds that can blow fire in every direction,” Freeman said.
The blaze exploded in size to reach more than 80 sq miles (207 sq km) by Sunday evening, just two days after erupting in a largely unpopulated area of Siskiyou county. At least 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The blaze torched trees along California Highway 96, and the scorched remains of a pickup truck sat in a lane of the highway. Thick smoke covered the area and flames burned through hillsides in sight of homes.
A second, smaller fire just to the west that was sparked by dry lightning Saturday threatened the tiny town of Seiad, Freeman said. About 400 structures were under threat from the two fires.
A third fire, which was on the southwest end of the McKinney blaze, prompted evacuation orders for about 500 homes Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokesperson with the Siskiyou county sheriff’s office. Crews had been on the scene since late Saturday but on Sunday morning the fire “became active and escaped its containment line”.
Authorities have not confirmed the extent of the damage yet, saying assessments would begin when it was safe to reach the area. As the threat from the McKinney fire grew, some residents chose to stay behind while others heeded orders to leave.
(Vinayak)
