The fire, which has been named “McKinney”, has since Friday destroyed nearly 225,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest and, despite the mobilization of powerful firefighting forces, has not been brought under control.
The worst fire in California this year, which has forced thousands of people to leave their homes and has turned thousands of crowns into ashes, has caused the death of two people, as the fire service of the American state announced today.
The fire, which has been named “McKinney”, has since Friday destroyed nearly 225,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest and, despite the mobilization of powerful firefighting forces, has not been brought under control.
It is the largest wildfire since the beginning of the year in California, which often faces a fiery nightmare. However, the size of the McKinney fire currently remains smaller than the so-called Dixie, which last year burned more than 4 million acres.
Two people were found charred inside a burning car Sunday morning, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said today.
Firefighters believe the victims were trying to flee, but their car was engulfed in flames, Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC television.
Strong winds, heat and local storms contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
More than 2,000 residents were ordered to evacuate in northern California, near the Oregon border. Another 60 hikers were swept away from the Pacific Crest Trail, according to authorities in Jackson County, Oregon.
About 100 buildings, mostly residences, were damaged, according to a Siskiyou County sheriff’s spokesman.
Wairica resident Larry Castle described to the Sacramento Bee how he and his wife and three dogs left their home in the middle of the night, taking only the bare necessities. He said the fires of recent years have taught them that the situation can become “very serious” at any moment.
Nearly 850 firefighters were today battling the blaze, according to the Wildfire Coordination Center.
In late July, a large wildfire forced authorities to order evacuations in central California. A few weeks later, another fire threatened the giant sequoias of the famous Yosemite Park.
The American West has in recent years been faced with the worst forest fires in recent years, a phenomenon that scientists attribute mainly to the climate crisis.
VIDEO SOURCE: ABC NEWS
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