YREKA, Calif. — Two more people were found dead in the McKinney Fire area on Monday, bringing the total to four people killed in the fire.
The two people were found in separate homes along Highway 96. It is unclear how they died and their identity has not been released.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said no one is unaccounted for. To report someone missing, people can call (530) 842-8741.
At least four people have died and more than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned in the McKinney Fire since it erupted last Friday and the blaze remains out of control, authorities said.
Two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle Sunday in the driveway of a home near the remote community of Klamath River, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Other details weren’t immediately released.
According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, 60 people were rescued from the California side of the Pacific Crest Trail on Saturday.
Yreka could see a high of nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of extreme fire danger into Tuesday night because of the chance of lightning starting new fires and gusty outflowing winds from thunderstorms powering the flames of the McKinney Fire.
The blaze in Northern California near the state line with Oregon exploded in size to nearly 87 square miles and is the larger of two wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest. A separate fire northeast of Happy Camp forced evacuations and road closures as it burned out of control Tuesday.
STAY INFORMED
When ash began to fall and his throat was burning from the smoke, Franklin Thom decided it was time to leave the city where he grew up on the edge of the national forest in California.
He made it to a shelter with his daughter and just his medicine, some clothes and his shower shoes. Unlike some others, he was told that he had escaped California's largest fire of the year with his home still standing.
“Keep your prayers out for us," said Thom, 55.
The California fire started small but exploded over the weekend as thunderstorm cells brought winds gusting to 50 mph at times.
Cloudy weather and some good rain helped firefighters Sunday night and Monday. Bulldozers managed to ring the city of Yreka with firebreaks, while crews carving out fire lines in steep and rugged terrain also were making progress, fire officials said.
The blaze was holding about 4 miles from Yreka, a scenic city of around 7,500 people.
“We’ve got the weather,” said Todd Mack, an incident fire commander with the U.S. Forest Service. “We’ve got the horsepower. And we’re getting after it.”
But the weather was a mixed blessing. Weekend lightning also sparked several smaller fires near the McKinney Fire. And despite the much-needed moisture, forests and fields in the region remained bone-dry.
Among those waiting out the fire at the shelter Monday was Paisley Bamberg, 33. She arrived in Yreka a few months ago from West Columbia, South Carolina.
She was living in a motel with her six children, ranging in age from 15 to her 1-year-old twins when she was told to evacuate.
“I started throwing everything on the top of my truck,” but had to leave many things behind, she said.
Bamberg said she’d just been hired at an Arby’s restaurant and wondered if it will survive the fire.
“There might not be much there when we get back,“ she said. “I don’t know if I have a job. The kids were supposed to start school and I don’t know if the school is still standing.”
“I’m trying to keep up my spirits. I have six little humans that are depending on me,” she said. “I can’t break down or falter.”
About 2,500 people were under evacuation orders but Thom said he knew many people remained in Yreka.
“There’s still a lot of people in town, people who refused to leave," he said. “A lot of people who don’t have vehicles and can’t go. It’s really sad.”
Thom has lived in Yreka all his life but this was his first time being threatened by a wildfire.
“I never thought it would ever happen," he said. ‘I thought, ’We’re invincible.' ... This is making a liar out of me.”
Scientists have said climate change has made the West warmer and drier over the last three decades and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.
The U.S. Forest Service shut down a 110-mile section of the famed Pacific Crest Trail in Northern California and southern Oregon. Sixty hikers in that area were helped to evacuate on Saturday, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon, which aided in the effort.
Evacuation Map
An evacuation map for Siskiyou County is available below.
Fire Map
This map from ESRI shows fire activity (this may take a few seconds to load).
Wildfire Preps
According to Cal Fire, the 2021 fire season started earlier than previous years, but also ended earlier, as well. January 2021 saw just under 1,200 acres burned from nearly 300 wildfires. Fires picked up in the summer when the Dixie Fire burned in five Northern California counties — Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Lassen and Tehama. The Dixie Fire started on July 13 and wasn't contained until Oct. 25, burning nearly 1 million acres. It has since become the second-largest wildfire in state history and the largest non-complex fire.
Overall, 2.5 million acres were burned in 2021 from 8,835 wildfires. Over 3,600 structures were destroyed and 3 people were killed.
If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.
The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, and supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and knowing your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts.
PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.
What questions do you have about the latest wildfires? If the wildfires impact you, what would you like to know? Text the ABC10 team at (916) 321-3310.
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