Provided as public service by Redding Record-Searchlight:
The McKinney Fire in western Siskiyou County, the state’s largest wildfire so far this fire season, remained at 55,493 acres with 0% containment.
Fire authorities consider containment to mean an established portion of perimeter that’s expected to hold — whether that’s a bulldozed line, a lakeshore, a wide road, or any other tactical or natural feature. Even full containment doesn’t mean a fire is extinguished — only that it is no longer expanding and the entire perimeter is expected to hold.
About 849 personnel are assigned to the McKinney Fire, which started Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest and then blew up into the weekend. The wildfire’s cause was undetermined.
Two people have been found dead so far as more than 100 homes, sheds and other buildings have burned, according to an Associated Press dispatch.
The blaze was holding about 4 miles from Yreka.
9 a.m. Tuesday UPDATE
Yreka is registering an unhealthy air index, according to Klamath National Forest officials.
Find out the current air quality from the Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control District webpage at https://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/airpollution/page/air-quality or go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ for a live air quality map.
People can reduce their exposure to poor air quality by following these guidelines:
- Limit exercise and outdoor activities
- Remain indoors with the windows and doors closed
- Turn on an air conditioner with a recirculation setting (such as in a vehicle)
8:45 a.m. Tuesday UPDATE
The Shackleford Fire is a relatively smaller fire burning in western Siskiyou County off Shackleford Road and Big Meadows Creek.
That fire west of Fort Jones was 31 acres with 45% containment, according to the Siskiyou Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Another Siskiyou County fire is the Meamber Fire near Meamber Creek Road and Scott River Road, northwest of Fort Jones. Cal Fire says it’s 63 acres and 35% contained.
6 a.m Tuesday UPDATE
Powerful winds like those last seen during the devastating Camp Fire drove the McKinney Fire into communities around Yreka, Unified Incident Commander Darryl Laws told residents who attended a public meeting Monday night.
