Fire prompts evacuations in rural Northern California

2023-08-16 06:10:02

HAMBURG, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire fueled by gusty winds from a thunderstorm moved through a national forest near the California-Oregon border Tuesday, prompting evacuations in rural areas.

The fire in Siskiyou County, called the Head fire, was one of at least 15 fires — most of them very small — ignited in the Klamath National Forest as thunderstorms lashed the area with lightning and strong winds, fanning the flames. through forest areas and rural land.

In just a few hours, the fire had exceeded 3.9 square kilometers (more than 1.5 square miles) and sparked other scattered pockets along the Klamath River, according to the US Forest Service.

There were initially no reports of injuries or houses burned Tuesday night. However, Siskiyou County police issued evacuation orders for several locations, including one south of Hamburg, a riverside community of regarding 100 people.

State Highway 96 was also closed.

The Head fire was burning near the site of the McKinney fire, which started on July 29 last year. That fire started in the Klamath National Forest and quickly grew in size when a thunderstorm brought winds of up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour.

It burned much of Klamath River, a picturesque town of regarding 200 people, to ashes and killed four people, including two who may have been trying to flee the flames. Their bodies were found in a burnt-out vehicle in the driveway of a house.

Other fires sparked by lightning were reported Tuesday in Northern California, in Mendocino County, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the Tahoe area, though most were small and quickly contained, according to fire officials.

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