The US Forest Service has announced that one of the four people killed in the McKinney Fire in Northern California was Kathy Shoopman, a long-time FS employee. The agency said she died in her home in the community of Klamath River as a result of the fire on July 29, the day the fire erupted.
Ms. Shoopman started her career as a lookout at Baldy Mountain Lookout, west of Happy Camp, in 1974. Since then, she has staffed Lake Mountain Lookout, and most recently Buckhorn Lookout, a post she has held since 1993. She lived in the community of Klamath River for nearly five decades and was a talented artist, gardener, and a devout animal lover.
All four victims lived in Klamath River, which was ordered to evacuate on July 29 as the fire spread rapidly. It has now burned more than 60,000 acres. Ms. Shoopman was the first victim to have been positively identified.
Our sincere condolences go out to Ms. Shoopman’s family, friends, and co-workers.
McKinney and other fires on or near the Klamath National Forest, 9:32 p.m. July 31, 2022.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office announced early Monday morning that at about 10 a.m. Sunday two individuals were found deceased in a burned vehicle in the path of the McKinney Fire in Northern California. The vehicle was in a residential driveway along Doggett Creek Road off Highway 96 west of the community of Klamath River, California.
To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the McKinney Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.
Rain on the west side of the fire very early Sunday morning and a heavy smoke inversion helped limit growth Sunday, but also kept aircraft mostly grounded. 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.
Map of the McKinney Fire at 9:32 p.m. PDT July 31, 2022. The brown areas represent intense heat.
The fire was mapped Sunday night at approximately 55,493 acres. It is being managed under Unified Command with the US Forest Service and the CAL FIRE.
Saturday night the McKinney Fire was:
5 miles from Yreka
6 miles from Interstate 5
9 miles from Fort Jones
4 miles from Scott Bar
2 miles from Horse Creek
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office ordered evacuations of more than 2,000 people near Yreka. Details can be found on their Facebook page. A Zonehaven Aware map is also available.
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. An online video shows that the Community Hall in Klamath River burned.
At least 10 fires, including the McKinney Fire, were burning in Siskiyou County as of late Sunday night, according to the Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services.
Fire officials said the spread of the Alex Fire near Condrey Mountain four miles north of the McKinney Fire has been stopped. It was mapped at about 140 acres.
The China Fire west of Seiad has burned 1,989 acres south of Highway 96.
The Kelsey Fire was 10-15 acres Sunday afternoon and has evacuation orders in place. Numerous resources are on scene and more continue to arrive. It is west of Scott River Road nine air miles southwest of Scott Bar.
Highway 96 is closed and Interstate 5, which is six miles east of the fire, remains open.
Monday’s weather forecast calls for a 25 percent chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms with a high of 80 to 93 degrees with the humidity dropping into the 20s in the lower elevations. The wind will be out of the west at 4 to 7 mph with gusts to 14 mph.
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.
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 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.
