2 killed in McKinney Fire burning in Siskiyou County, sheriff’s office says KCRA Updated: 8:46 AM PDT Aug 1, 2022
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. — Two people were found dead along the path of the McKinney Fire that has been burning in Siskiyou County, the sheriff’s office confirmed Monday.
Officials said the two killed in the blaze were found inside a vehicle in a residential driveway Sunday morning. The home was along Doggett Creek Road of Highway 96, west of the community of Klamath River.
No information was released about the people killed pending identification and notification of next of kin.
The McKinney Fire has forced several evacuations in the area, and has burned at least 55,493 acres as of Monday morning, according to the United States Forest Service.
Evacuations in the McKinney Fire An evacuation order means there’s an immediate threat to livelihood and evacuation is mandatory.
An evacuation warning means fire behavior could threaten nearby homes and businesses. Although no one is required to leave during an evacuation warning, it is still highly encouraged.
| MORE | See the evacuation map here
A portion of Highway 96 remains closed due to the blaze.
| MORE | Follow the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services social media pages for the latest on evacuations
Battling the fire Firefighting crews on the ground were trying to prevent the blaze from moving toward the town of Yreka, population about 7,500, about four miles away as of Sunday.
A second, smaller fire in the region that was sparked by dry lightning Saturday threatened the tiny California community of Seiad. Overall, officials said about 400 structures were threatened by the two fires.
Authorities have not confirmed the extent of the damages far in the areas that have burned, saying assessments would begin when it was safe to go inside them.
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 by the following morning it “became active and escaped its containment line.” The childhood home of one sheriff's deputy burned on Friday, Kreider said,
Thunderstorms that brought barrages of lightning and threatened to spark new fires in dry fuel beds in Northern California were expected to move out of the area starting Monday, forecasters said.
Gov. Newsom proclaims state of emergency Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday proclaimed a state of emergency for Siskiyou County due to the McKinney Fire.
"A state of emergency allows for more flexibility in the face of an unfolding crisis, including the suspension of regulatory statutes that may impede the emergency response and recovery efforts," the governor's office said.
The proclamation also allows access to federal aid and triggers the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows resources from other states to assist California crews.
Date: August 01, 2022 at 21:14:55 From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address] Subject: Re: Live at McKinney fire Northern California/evac maps/2 dead
thanks Red, siskiyou county is my families stomping grounds since the early 1900's and lived here and there. I have some pictures of one of the fires years ago and that was smokey in Yreka then, so sad.My cousin's cabin was in Happy Camp but he passed away years ago and not sure if it was saved or not.