NorCal Fire Swells To 51K Acres; Evacuations Issued

YREKA, CA — A fire that broke out in Northern California Friday exploded over the weekend, charring at least 51,000 acres by Sunday and triggering evacuations, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

The McKinney fire, reported northwest of Yreka in the Klamath National Forest, was zero percent contained and could be seen for miles as a massive smoke plume hung overhead.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the McKinney Fire spread rapidly throughout the area. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access federal aid.

The blaze was still burning out of control near the Oregon border on Sunday with thunderstorms a big concern, said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman.

“The fuel beds are so dry and they can just erupt from that lightning," Freeman said. “These thunder cells come with gusty erratic winds that can blow fire in every direction.”

Evacuations were issued before dawn on Saturday. Residents can find their zone here.

The fire erupted around 3 p.m. on Friday and was reported at 300 acres by the evening, the agency reported.

The fire grew rapidly, fanned by strong winds and active thunderstorms. Fire crews were anticipating "another day of very active fire behavior" amid hot temperatures, U.S. Forest Service officials wrote on Facebook.

The blaze burned through trees along California Highway 96, and the torched remains of a pickup truck sat in a lane of the highway. Thick smoke blanketed the area and flames burned ripped hillsides dangerously close to homes.

A dry lightning strike ignited a second, smaller fire just to the west, threatening the town of Seiad, Freeman said. At least 400 structures were being threatened by the two fires. The extent of the damage had not been confirmed by fire officials as of Sunday afternoon.

A third fire, which was on the southwest end of the McKinney blaze, prompted evacuation orders for around 500 homes Sunday, said Courtney Kreider, a spokesperson with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The office said crews had been on the scene of the fire since late Saturday but that the fire Sunday morning “became active and escaped its containment line."

Scientists say climate change has made the West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to get to the nearest town while the U.S. Forest Service closed a 110-mile section of the trail from the Etna Summit to the Mt. Ashland Campground in southern Oregon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.