McKinney Fire in California Growing, Still out of Control

The McKinney Fire in Northern California was still out of control on Wednesday despite cloudy, cooler conditions on Tuesday night.

The fire has burned nearly 90 square miles since it started on Friday in an unpopulated area in Klamath National Forest.

CalFire listed the blaze as 0% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, unchanged from its level of containment on Monday.

Multiple evacuation orders and warnings have remained in effect since Monday.

Highway 96 in the area remains closed. Resources fighting the fire have also increased in the last few days. So far, 35 crews, 10 helicopters, 121 engines, and 1,363 personnel have been dedicated to fighting the fire.

“Fire activity was again mitigated over night by cloudy, cooler conditions,” the latest CalFire incident summary states. “On the McKinney Fire, no perimeter growth was observed. Crews were able to work successfully behind the city of Yreka, bringing dozer line along the ridge to protect the structures. In the steep area on the fire’s southern edge, hand crews worked on direct line construction near Baldy Gap, and in Humbug Creek. The fire continued to back down toward the river in the Walker Creek area, and crews worked there to protect structures.”

The Associated Press reported two more bodies were found within the burn zone of the wildfire. Two bodies were reported found inside a burned vehicle earlier this week. The discovery of the latest two brings the death toll to four in the state’s largest wildfire so far this year.

There has also been confirmed damage to properties, and other injuries. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Related:

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