A fire, the biggest of the year in California, advanced this Sunday through the arid regions of the western US state, fueled by strong winds, destroying houses and forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, according to authorities.
The fire, dubbed “McKinney,” has destroyed more than 50,000 acres of the Klamath National Forest near the northern California town of Yreka, the CalFire firefighting agency said.
This is the largest wildfire since the beginning of the year in California, which has already been affected by several other fires this summer.
CAFORNIA IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY
State Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the fire had “destroyed homes” and “threatened critical infrastructure” since it broke out on Friday.
The fire “intensified and spread due to dry fuels, extreme dry conditions, high temperatures, winds and thunderstorms,” Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
More than 2,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, mostly in Siskiyou County. “Residents in the surrounding areas should be prepared to leave if necessary. Feel free to evacuate,” the county sheriff tweeted.
650 firefighters mobilized
Yreka resident Larry Castle told the newspaper sacrament bee that he and his wife had packed a few things and taken their three dogs before leaving the facility for the night. Other fires in recent years have taught them that the situation could become “very, very serious.”
About 650 people intervened Sunday to put out the fire, according to the National Wildfire Coordination Group.
Fire season in California, a state in persistent drought, is expected to last several months. In recent years, California and other parts of the western United States have been devastated by fast-moving and large fires as a result of global warming.
Source: BFM TV
