At least four people have died in California’s biggest blaze of the year, local officials said, warning the death toll could rise further. The fire, dubbed “McKinney”, has been raging since last Friday. It extends over 22,700 hectares, and threatens in particular the small town of Yreka. “We have four confirmed deaths, and that number could change,” a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office in Siskiyou County, where a state of emergency has been declared, told AFP.
On Sunday morning, the bodies of two deceased people were discovered in a charred vehicle. On Monday, two additional victims were found at two separate residences, according to a tweet from the sheriff’s office.
At least 3,000 people are affected by evacuation orders around the town of Klamath River, near the border with the state of Oregon. “Our goal today is to communicate effectively with people, and we ask them to obey evacuation orders,” said the spokesperson. “Our priority is to protect human lives and property.”
Brief lull
“When we left, everything was on fire,” resident Sherri Marchetti-Perrault told the Los Angeles Times. “It happened so fast. We left with only our clothes on our backs. We couldn’t breathe or see anything.” Since Sunday evening, fire fighters have benefited from a brief lull offered by better weather conditions, with lower temperatures and scattered rainfall. But optimism remained cautious, as an alert from the weather services due to the threat of lightning remained active. After a lull through early Tuesday afternoon, further thunderstorms are expected, they said.
“Vegetation in the area is extremely dry and the continued threat of thunderstorms, and associated strong and unpredictable winds, could cause the fire to flare up again,” the California Fire Department warned. Bulldozers were positioned to protect buildings near the town of Yreka (about 8,000 inhabitants).
Persistent drought
Despite the danger, some residents preferred to wait until the last moment before leaving. “I’m holding on, and trying not to leave too early because I’m helping my mother who is not in good physical health to get around,” Rafael Franco, a resident who received an order to move, told AFP. mandatory evacuation. “If at the last minute I see fire crossing the ridge where we are then we will grab what we can and go, and we will move forward hoping for the best,” he adds.
Marjie Lawrence, who hastily left Klamath River on Friday night, said she later returned to her home to collect personal belongings. “We took stuff in case the house totally burned down, stuff we wanted, but not enough,” she explained. The fire season in California, a state in a persistent drought situation, is expected to last several months. The frequency and strength of these fires are exacerbated by global warming.