OUT OF CONTROL

California Battles Its Worst Wildfire of 2022 Across 51K Acres

Nearly 2,000 have been ordered to evacuate immediately.

A wildfire in California grew to the largest the state has seen all year, raging across more than 50,000 acres on Sunday and setting the new record just a week after another fire claimed the title. The McKinney Fire began on Friday in Klamath National Forest, a state park in Northern California, less than 15 miles from Oregon’s southern border. Its cause was not immediately apparent, with an investigation ongoing. But in less than 48 hours, nearly 2,000 people have been placed under immediate evacuation orders. Goosed by dry timber and blustery thunderstorms, the fire was zero percent contained on Sunday morning, with officials worried about further thunderstorms forecast in the week ahead. On Saturday, first responders raced to scoop 63 hikers off a threatened area of the Pacific Coast Trail that cuts through Klamath. A second, smaller blaze nearby was set off by dry lightning on Saturday, threatening the small town of Seiad, according to a forest service spokesperson. The two fires jeopardize a combined 400 structures, the spokesperson added.