In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-growing McKinney Fire, which started Friday, went from charring just over 1 square mile (1 square kilometer) to 62 square miles (160 square kilometers) by Saturday in a mostly rural area near the state of Oregon, according to fire officials. The fire has consumed at least a dozen homes and wildlife is fleeing the area to escape the flames. At least 2,000 people were told to evacuate. Meanwhile in Montana, the Elmo wildfire nearly tripled in size to more than 11 square miles within a few miles of the town of Elmo. And about 200 miles to the south, Idahoans remained under evacuation orders as the Alic Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest charred more than 67.5 square miles of timberland near the town of Salmon. It was contained by 17%. A significant buildup of vegetation fueled the fire in McKinney, said Tom Stokesberry, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman for the area. “It’s a very dangerous fire, the geography there is steep and rugged, and this particular area hasn’t burned in a while,” he said. “It continues to increase with erratic winds and storms in the area and we’re in the triple digits,” said Caroline Quintanilla, spokeswoman for the Klamath National Forest. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom greater flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access federal aid. It also allows “firefighting resources from other states to assist California crews in fighting wildfires,” according to a statement from the governor’s office. With red flag warnings in effect for the region and lightning expected in the coming days, resources from across California have been brought in to help fight the area’s fires, said Stokesberry, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. McKinney’s explosive growth forced crews to shift from trying to control the fire’s perimeter to trying to protect homes and vital infrastructure like water tanks and power lines and help with evacuations in California’s northernmost Siskiyou County. Deputies and law enforcement were knocking on doors at the Yreka County seat and the city of Fort Jones to urge residents to get out and safely evacuate their livestock to trailers. Automated calls were also sent to landlines because there were areas without cell phone service. More than 100 homes were ordered to be evacuated and authorities were warning people to be on high alert. Smoke from the fire caused portions of the 96 Freeway to be closed. The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to reach the nearest town, while the US Forest Service closed a 110-mile section of the trail from Etna’s summit to Mt Ashland Campground in southern Oregon. Oregon State Rep. Dacia Graeber, who is a firefighter, was camping with her husband, who is also in the fire service, near the California state line when gale-force winds woke them shortly after midnight. The sky flashed with lightning in the clouds, while ash blew over them, although they were in Oregon, about 10 miles (about 16 km) away. The intense heat from the fire had sent up a huge cumulus cloud, which can produce its own weather system, including winds and thunderstorms, Graeber said. “These were some of the worst winds I’ve ever seen and we’re used to big fires,” he said. “I thought he was going to rip the roof tent off our truck. We got out of there.” On their way out, they encountered hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail fleeing to safety. “The scary part for us was the wind speed,” he said. “It went from a fairly cool, breezy night to hot, dry hurricane-force winds.” In western Montana, the wind-driven Elmo fire forced the evacuation of homes and livestock as it raced through grass and timber, according to the Idaho-based National Fire Service Center. The agency estimated it would take nearly a month to contain the fire. Smoke closed a section of Highway 28 between Hot Springs and Elmo due to thick smoke, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. Crews from several different agencies were battling the blaze Saturday, including the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Fire Division. Six helicopters made drops on the fire, assisted by 22 machines on the ground. In Idaho, more than 930 firefighters and wildland support personnel were battling the Elk Fire Saturday and protecting homes, energy infrastructure and the Highway 93 corridor, an important north-south route. A red flag warning indicated the weather could worsen with the forecast calling for “dry thunderstorms”, with lightning, wind and no rain. In Hawaii, fire crews and helicopters battle flames Saturday night in Maui near Paia Bay. Maui County Emergency Management said roads have been closed and advised residents and travelers to avoid the area. It’s unclear how many acres have burned. A red flag warning is in effect Sunday. Meanwhile, crews made significant progress fighting another large California wildfire that forced the evacuation of thousands of people near Yosemite National Park earlier this month. The Oak Fire was 52 percent contained by Saturday, according to a Cal Fire incident update. However, amid scorching temperatures, the danger was not completely over, with structures and homes at risk until the fire was fully extinguished. The fires come as scorching temperatures bake the Pacific Northwest, the West remains parched in a record drought and severe storms have caused flash flooding in many states. In Kentucky, flash flooding killed at least 25 people in what experts call a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event.
