“Ccumulus clouds are developing in the fire area, which can exacerbate fire behavior,” the Klamath National Forest said in a Facebook post. The fire, known as the McKinney Fire, started Friday in Siskiyou County near the California-Oregon border, about four hours north of Sacramento. The county has a population of just 44,000, according to the US Census Bureau. A mandatory evacuation order was announced Saturday for areas of Siskiyou County, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. Residents within the evacuation zone are asked to “evacuate immediately.” A red warning, which indicates dangerous fire conditions, is in effect. Lightning is expected in the area and fire officials were “expecting a very dynamic day [Saturday] to the fire as the forecast weather is expected to be problematic for firefighters,” according to the InciWeb update. Firefighters were forced to change their tactics “from an aggressive perimeter control effort” to a more defensive stance to help with evacuations Saturday morning, the InciWeb report notes. Containment estimates for the McKinney fire were not yet available Saturday afternoon.
