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Two people found dead in McKinney Fire

Northern California

McKinney Fire prompts evacuations northwest of Yreka, CA

Updated 5:58 p.m. PDT July 31, 2022

The AlertWildfire camera in Northern California on Herd Peak recorded the effect of what is likely outflow winds from a thunderstorm affecting smoke from the McKenney Fire. At the time on Sunday afternoon July 31, 2022 it had burned about 52,000 acres northwest of Yreka. It appears that the fire is spreading across the ground, but most likely it is just smoke.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the McKinney Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

Rain on the fire
It was very spotty, but some locations on the McKinney Fire received rain Saturday night between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday morning. The weather station on Mt. Baldy on the western edge of the fire received just over half an inch, Scott Barr three miles west of the fire got 0.19″, and Oak Knoll off Highway 96 received 0.01″. Several locations near Yreka recorded no precipitation.

There are very few weather stations in or near the fire area, but the National Weather Service produced the map below with estimated precipitation amounts based on radar observations.

rain McKinney Fire — Radar observed precip, for the 24-hour period ending at 5 a.m. PDT July 31, 2022. NWS.

The west side of the fire received the most precipitation, according to the radar, with much less on the east side. The radar data is just an estimate, but it appears possible that a good sized portion of the west side received at least a wetting rain, with much of that side experiencing between 0.10 and 0.50″. If this is the case, the east side should see more fire growth for at least the next day or so than on the west side.

Fire activity
The rain combined with an inversion Saturday evening to slow the fire, but activity increased in some locations around midnight. Crews were actively engaged in structure protection in the Klamath River area. Little progression was observed on the southeast side closest to Yreka.

The McKinney Fire was mapped Sunday afternoon at 52,499 acres. The China 2 Fire 15 miles west of the McKinney Fire has burned 1,652 acres on the south side of Highway 96.

Sunday
Priorities for Sunday are to continue structure preparation and protection in the Highway 96 corridor, and around the communities of Fort Jones and Yreka.

Homes destroyed
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that several structures have been destroyed. Sheriff’s office Spokeswoman Courtney Kreider said residences along Highway 96 in the Klamath River drainage burned. She did not have a specific number.

Updated at 5:36 a.m. PDT July 31, 2022

McKinney Fire map 3-D — McKinney Fire 3-D map, looking west-southwest at 12:30 a.m. PDT July 31, 2022. The white lines were the perimeter at 5:19 p.m. on July 29.

The McKinney Fire in Northern California eight miles south of the Oregon state line was very active throughout the night. When it was mapped by an aircraft at 12:30 a.m. Sunday it had grown to 51,468 acres. During a satellite overflight at 3:38 a.m. about 90 percent of the heat detected was on the east and southeast sides.

This was the only complete mapping of the fire since noon on Saturday due to thunderstorms and lightning in the area which restricted flights of air tankers and helicopters.

McKinney Fire map at 12:30 a.m. PDT July 31, 2022. The white line was the perimeter at 5:19 p.m. on July 29.

At 12:30 a.m. Sunday it was 5 miles northwest of Yreka, 2 miles north of Greenhorn Road, 5 miles west of Highway 263, 4 miles east of Scott Bar, and 2 miles east of Horse Creek.

The mapping flight found a 75-acre fire burning four miles northwest of the McKinney Fire east of Condrey Mountain. It is unknown at this point if it a new fire or a spot from the McKinney.

Another fire 15 miles west of the McKinney Fire, the China 2 Fire, has burned approximately 1,000 acres south of Highway 96 in the Seiad Valley area.

Weather
Isolated and scattered thunderstorms with little or no rain are predicted for the area on Sunday with gusty outflow winds of 40-50 mph and cloud to ground lightning. Pyrocumulus could regenerate with potential for rapid fire growth and spread. There is a 5 percent chance of wetting rain. The relative humidity will be 15 to 25 percent.

Updated 6:41 p.m. PDT July 30, 2022

Saturday afternoon the area around the McKenny Fire northwest of Yreka, California was covered by cumulonimbus clouds, thunderstorms with lightning. This made it very difficult for air tankers, helicopters, or mapping aircraft to work over the blaze. Even the AlertWildfire cameras on mountain peaks late in the afternoon could see nothing but smoke. But satellite imagery peeking through breaks in the clouds detected intense heat from the fires.

The video below shows lightning and heat detected by a satellite during a 2-hour period ending at 6:21 p.m. PDT July 30 in Northern California and southwest Oregon. The red areas represent heat from the fires. The white line is the Oregon/California border. The white flashes are lightning.

Evacuations are in effect over a large area, ordered by the Siskiyou County Sheriff. Details can be found on their Facebook page. A Zonehaven Aware map is also available.

At 3 p.m. Saturday the US Forest Service estimated the fire had burned 30,000 to 40,000 acres.

Updated 1:20 p.m. PDT July 30, 2022

McKinney Fire map, 12:04 p.m July 30, 2022

The FIRIS aircraft mapped the McKinney Fire at an astounding 29,493 acres just after noon today. That explosive growth is less than 24 hours after it was reported at 2:15 p.m. Friday. (See map above)

This current map shows us that at 12:04 p.m. Saturday it was 9 miles west-northwest of Yreka, 3 miles northwest of Scott Bar, and 3 miles west of Gottsville.

During its first 22 hours it spread north 4 miles, east 5 miles, south 6 miles, and west about 2 miles.

9:48 a.m. PDT July 30, 2022

The McKinney Fire northwest of Yreka, California grew rapidly after it was reported Friday afternoon south of Highway 96 in the Klamath National Forest. Since then it has spread north across the highway and also to the south. At about 5 a.m. Saturday the Siskiyou County Sheriff said it was approximately four miles from Scott Bar after having been very active all night.

At about 8:45 a.m. on Saturday the Klamath National Forest estimated it had burned approximately 18,000 acres. The most recent perimeter map available is from Friday at 5:19 p.m., when it was only 65 acres. This current estimate from the Forest Service indicates it is 277 times larger. Additional perimeter mapping data was most likely prevented by lightning and thunderstorms in the area.

The fire was 14 miles northwest of Yreka when first reported, but grew closer overnight.

Evacuations are in effect over a large area, ordered by the Siskiyou County Sheriff. Details can be found on their Facebook page. A Zonehaven Aware map is also available.

California McKinney Fire

Most of the work still remaining on the Oak Fire is on northeast side

The fire is east of Mariposa, California

California Oak Fire

Oak Fire slows, but still spreads into footprint of 2018 Ferguson Fire

CAL FIRE is using one of their new Firehawk helicopters to drop water at night

California night flying Oak Fire

Giant sequoia trees continue to smolder for up to two years from past wildfires

Three Fires, giant sequoia trees — Three fires in two years that killed giant sequoia trees. The darker green areas represent groves of giant sequoias.

The U.S. Forest Service distributed information yesterday saying there are areas still burning in giant sequoia groves after wildfires that occurred in the Castle and Windy Fires of 2020 and 2021.

From the Sequoia National Forest, July 23, 2022:

Three fires were discovered this week, still smoldering inside the 2020 Castle and 2021 Windy Fires. Firefighters from Sequoia National Forest quickly reached two, and the third could not be reached safely due to the dense stand of fire-killed trees surrounding it.

The 1-acre Cougar Fire was found burning in the Red Hill Giant Sequoia Grove near the Tule River Indian Reservation boundary. Less than a half mile away, the ¼-acre Crawford Fire was reported by fire personnel responding to the Cougar Fire. Both were caused by a smoldering giant sequoia tree leftover from last summer’s Windy Fire.

Burning area in giant sequoia grove. US Forest Service. Photo distributed July 23, 2022. (Date of the photo and name of fire not provided)

Fireline was constructed by hand to stop each fire from spreading further. Heavy material: treetops, limbs, and trunks of previous fallen trees continue to smolder underneath these still-standing sequoia trees, weakened by the fire burning inside them. Fire personnel will continue to mop up and extinguish what they can without jeopardizing their safety by having to work under a burning giant sequoia tree. Neither the Cougar nor Crawford Fires pose an immediate risk to nearby communities.

On Thursday, a third fire was reported southeast of Camp Nelson in the Belknap Giant Sequoia Grove. Helicopter personnel located this fire deep inside the burned area of the 2020 Castle Fire. Due to its remote location, numerous standing hazard trees endangering fire personnel, and minimal chance of escape, this fire will be monitored from a distance and by air.

There have been several instances of smoldering trees, most of them large diameter giant sequoias, observed and reported in both the Castle and Windy Fire burned areas. These are likely to continue as dry conditions persist. Firefighter safety is a priority when determining how best to extinguish these types of fires. They may have to be monitored until the trees fall on their own and can be managed safely on the ground.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bob.

California Castle Fire giant sequoia Windy Fire

Oak Fire spreads rapidly east of Mariposa, California

It started Friday afternoon

California Oak Fire

Oak Fire prompts evacuations in Mariposa County, California

Updated 8:36 p.m. PDT July 23, 2022

Map of the Oak Fire, 8 p.m. July 23, 2022.

The Oak Fire has spread to the east quite significantly, crossing Jerseydale Road about two miles south of Jerseydale in the vicinity of Wild Dove Lane.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Oak Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

That puts it less than a mile west of the footprint of the very large Ferguson Fire which burned more than 96,000 acres in 2018. It was caused by a hot catalytic converter on a vehicle that parked in dry grass July 13, 2018 along Highway 140 near the Savage Trading Post.

The Oak Fire is exhibiting extreme fire behavior, igniting spot fires far ahead of the main fire.

CAL FIRE announced that at 6:45 p.m. it had burned 11,900 acres.

Oak Fire 7:43 p.m. July 23, 2022 — Oak Fire, as seen from Miami Peak, looking northwest at 7:43 p.m. July 23, 2022.

Updated 5:00 p.m. PDT july 23, 2022

Oak Fire at 4:57 p.m. July 23, 2022 — Oak Fire, looking northwest from Miami Peak at 4:57 p.m. July 23, 2022.

At approximately 4:20 p.m. Air Attack reported that the latest mapping of the Oak Fire showed had grown to 11,500 acres.

Updated 12:58 p.m. PDT July 23, 2022

Oak Fire, 12:34 p.m. July 23, 2022 — Oak Fire, looking east from Mt. Bullion, 12:34 p.m. July 23, 2022. AlertWildfire.

At 11:15 a.m. Saturday the Oak Fire was mapped by Air Attack at 9,100 acres.

CAL FIRE confirms 10 structures have been destroyed. That number will likely increase.

Updated at 8:35 a.m. PDT July 23, 2022

Oak Fire map, 4:25 a.m. July 23, 2022 — Oak Fire map, the red line was the perimeter at 4:25 a.m. July 23, 2022. The white line was the perimeter at 5:09 p.m. July 22.

The Oak Fire at Midpines, California was active throughout much of Friday night, growing by about 2,200 acres between 10 p.m. and 4:25 a.m. Saturday when it was mapped by FIRIS at 6,555 acres. Half an hour after sunrise it was putting up two smoke columns that were quite some distance apart, with one of them creating enough energy to be capped by a pyrocumulus cloud.

Oak Fire 6:37 a.m. July 23, 2022 — Two smoke columns on the Oak Fire are seen soon after dawn, looking southeast from Edith Hill at 6:37 a.m. July 23, 2022.

Just to be clear — wildfires normally lay down at night, providing an opportunity for firefighters to move in closer and put in direct fireline. It is not common for a fire to be burning so actively soon after dawn that it is creating multiple smoke columns, especially a pyrocumulus column.

The Mariposa County Sheriff has ordered evacuations as far south as Highway 49 and east to Jerseydale. Their map is available online. As we wrote earlier, this is a dangerous fire.

The Oak Fire is spreading rapidly. When it was mapped at 4:25 a.m. Saturday it had spread south across Triangle Road and reached Darrah Road. At that time it was about a half mile west of the community of Darrah. Firefighters were planning a burning operation between Triangle Road and Darrah Road west of the town.

Oak Fire, Lush Meadows subdivision, Friday afternoon July 22, 2022. Credit: Chad Anderson.

Weather
The spot weather forecast for the area predicts hot and dry conditions to persist into next week. Winds will be generally light, except becoming gusty in the afternoons. On Saturday, mostly sunny skies, 90 to 94 degrees, 9 to 13 percent relative humidity, and 6 to 12 mph ridgetop winds from the south to southwest gusting to 20 mph in the afternoon. Saturday night will see poor humidity recovery, 26 to 31 percent, with very light winds. For Sunday, 10 to 14 percent RH with afternoon ridgetop winds out of the west at 4 to 8 mph.

10:36 p.m. PDT July 22, 2022

Oak Fire map at 5:09 p.m. July 22, 2022. The fire is growing rapidly and has doubled in size since this data was collected.

The Oak Fire that started Friday afternoon in Central California has been growing rapidly in Mariposa County. The County Sheriff has ordered evacuations for several areas east and southeast of Midpines. At 10 p.m. Friday it was about 4 miles northeast of Mariposa.

Evacuation Map, Oak Fire, posted by the Mariposa County Sheriff at 10:21 PDT July 22, 2022. This is a dynamic situation and the evacuation status and map may only be current only for a short while.

This is a dangerous fire. Residents should not hesitate to evacuate if there is any doubt about their safety.

At 5:09 p.m. it was mapped at 1,745 acres; at about 10 p.m. CAL FIRE reported it had grown to 4,350 acres.

Oak Fire, looking east at 8:08 p.m. July 22, 2022.

California Oak Fire

San Diego Fire Rescue helicopter assists firefighters in San Carlos

San Diego Fire Rescue Helicopter 2, a 412EP (N282SD), drops on a wildfire in San Diego, July 22, 2022. Photo by Ryan Grothe.

Friday morning firefighters from San Diego Fire Rescue made quick work of knocking down a fire in the city’s San Carlos neighborhood. Working with the department’s Helicopter 2, a Bell 412EP, they stopped the spread at about two acres.

San Diego Police officers briefly informed residents on southbound Navajo Road, between Park Ridge Boulevard and Margerum Avenue, to evacuate, but that was lifted after about half an hour.

Thanks go out to Ryan Grothe for these photos.