McKinney Fire Update: Wildland Fire Kills At Least Four People in California, Blaze Remains Unstoppable at 0% Containment

The McKinney Fire in Northern California has killed at least four people, and the wildland fire remains unstoppable at 0% containment, according to the latest reports.

Local authorities discovered the bodies of the victims at their homes, leading to an initial assessment that they were unable to escape the fast spread of the blaze.

California's largest wildfire in 2022 so far grew to have engulfed over 56,000 acres of land, destroying agricultural lands and infrastructure, including homes, as of Tuesday evening.

With this, the death toll number and incurred damage are expected to rise in the coming hours and days.

However, weather forecasts indicated that there is an incoming thunderstorm with heavy rain and flash flooding in the region.

As a result, local authorities have estimated the McKinney Fire will stall, since additional firefighters are being deployed into the area, which is close to the California-Oregon border.

While wildfires are common in the drought-stricken region of the Western United States, which includes California, the McKinney Fire came at the forecasted peak of the summer season.

Prior to its start in June, experts and meteorologists have reported the summer will be marked continued above-average temperatures and an intense wildfire season.

McKinney Fire Update

(Photo : Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)

The fire started on Friday, July 29, when it erupted in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County in California.

It prompted the evacuation of thousands of people, as the flames swept through brush, grass, and timber in the northern part of the state, according to The New York Times.

Authorities reportedly confirmed the fire occurred approximately 14 miles south of the Oregon state line or the California-Oregon borderline.

The explosive expansion of the fire over the weekend earned its status as the state's largest wildfire this year, The New York Times added.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the Siskiyou County, which would allow strengthened measures to mitigate and extinguish the fire, as well as impose strict measures for preventative and emergency efforts.

Currently, evacuation orders have been issues in nearby rural communities.

Also Read: Wildfire Smoke Particles Can Affect the Climate Longer Than Previously Expected

Uncontrollable Fire

The Los Angeles Times reported that the main fire has spread to a total of 56,459 acres after gaining 294 acres on Tuesday.

On the other hand, 10 smaller wildfires are burning in the Klamath National Forest.

Initially dubbed as the "lighting fires," they are now being called the Yeti Complex, according to fire spokesman Joel Brumm, as cited by the LA Times.

According to California Government's Cal Fire website, the McKinney fire has been active for four straight days already and affect only Siskiyou County at this time.

In addition, it is located along Highway 98 and McKinney Creed Road, southwest of the Klamath River.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

However, it came at a time when the region was experiencing high temperatures brought by a renewed heat wave or heat dome.

Fire weather conditions like humidity and wind directions also likely fueled the flames.