Thousands Flee Homes as McKinney Fire Burns 51,000 Acres in Northern California

In Northern California, the McKinney Fire became the state’s largest wildfire so far this year on Sunday, having burned through more than 51,000 acres in just two days and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

About 3,000 people were under evacuation orders in Siskiyou County on Sunday, a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to allow easier access to federal aid and so out-of-state emergency workers could “assist California crews in battling the fires.”

The fire began Friday in Klamath National Forest, fueled by unusually high temperatures and drought conditions which have left vegetation drier than normal. On Sunday the National Weather Service warned temperatures could rise to between 100° and 115°F before the bout of extreme heat was expected to end late Sunday night.

Meteorologists are also concerned about thunderstorms developing through Tuesday, potentially sparking more fires in the area if they come with strong winds and lightning strikes.

In Yreka, the county seat of Siskiyou County, more than a dozen homes and other buildings had been destroyed by Sunday, and the number was expected to rise according to a spokesperson for the county sheriff’s office.

Scientists agree that the continued extraction of fossil fuels and carbon emissions are contributing to more long-lasting and intense drought and extreme heat, making wildfires like the McKinney Fire more likely and harder to control as they spread through dry vegetation quickly.

As the fire began on Friday, the U.S. House passed the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, a collection of nearly 50 bills to strengthen resiliency and mitigation projects for communities impacted by the climate crisis, protect watersheds like rapidly-drying Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona, and make it easier for wildfire victims to get federal assistance.

Originally published at Commondreams.org.