Two bodies found in burnt-out car in driveway amid raging California wildfire
Two people were found dead in the charred remains of their car in their driveway in Klamath, Calif., victims of a fire that has engulfed more than 55,000 acres.
The McKinney Fire in Northern California, which started on Friday, is now the state’s largest wildfire of the year after spreading to nearly 87 square miles Monday, officials said. The cause of the inferno has not been determined.
“Sunday fire personnel located two deceased individuals inside a vehicle located in a driveway,” the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The two bodies were found in the town of Klamath River, near the Oregon border, Siskiyou County officials told ABC News. Authorities surmised the pair tried to flee and were caught in the fast-moving blaze.
Their identities have not been released.
A firetruck drives along California Highway 96 as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Noah Berger/)
The blaze in the Klamath National Forest has forced several communities to be evacuated, including the western half of an old mining town, the 7,500-population Yreka, Calif. The fire was about 4 miles from the town on Monday.
The blaze was 0% contained Monday, according to Cal Fire.
Overnight rainfall helped keep fire growth minimal, the incident reporting site Inciweb said, as crews worked through the night to protect structures. High humidity tamped the growth of the nearby China Fire, one of several in the area.
“While last night’s weather mitigated fire spread, vegetation in the area is extremely dry and the continued threat of thunderstorms and the associated strong, erratic winds could result in increased fire behavior,” Inciweb said, noting that lightning strikes had sparked at least 12 smaller fires in the forest. “All are being fully suppressed.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the McKinney Fire had destroyed more than 100 structures. In addition, 63 hikers were plucked from the popular Pacific Crest Trail after flames shut down a 110-mile stretch of the Canada-to-Mexico hiking mecca, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office told The Mercury News.
While the hikers were not in imminent danger, Jackson County Search and Rescue officials said the unpredictable conditions made it prudent to pull them out as the fire spread and visibility worsened.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County on Friday as flames sent a pyrocumulus cloud as high as 50,000 feet into the air.
Overall in Northern California, nearly 5,000 homes and other structures are under threat and an unknown number of others have burned, the U.S. Forest Service said, noting “significant damage” along the Highway 96 corridor paralleling the Klamath River.
Other wildfires have ravaged parts of the U.S.
In Idaho, the Moose Fire has burned more than 85 square miles in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. It was 23% contained Monday. A wildfire in northwestern Nebraska damaged homes near the city of Gering. The Carter Canyon Fire was about 30% contained by early Monday, officials said.
With News Wire Services
