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Saturday is key day in McKinney Fire battle By David Smigelski and Kevin Opsahl Aug 06, 2022 10:50 AM A A Containment grows on McKinney Fire, but with hot, unstable weather ahead, firefighters race to fill remaining holes in their lines to prevent the fire from getting away A K-MAX helicopter picks up water Friday from the Klamath River along Highway 96 to cool hot spots within the Yeti Fire.[Klamath National Forest photo] Incident commanders Saturday morning said they expected “minimal forward fire progression” on the 60,000-acre McKinney Fire burning across the border in Siskiyou County, California. But two areas on the northern edge of the fire still hold the potential for runaway growth, so that’s where firefighters were directing attention Saturday, said Dennis Burns, California Interagency Incident Management Team fire behavior analyst, in a morning briefing. “The northeast corner of the fire, this is kind of where the focus is going to be (Saturday). This is the only area where we still have some open line,” Burns said. “It’s super steep ground; not able to get mechanical equipment in there to construct lines, so it’s all a hand crew show in there. This is our only piece where (the fire) could really come out and bite us,” he said. “Today is our opportunity to grab as much of this as possible. Sunday-Monday this week we have very unstable conditions in the atmosphere, very hot dry; very similar to when this fire started. “If the fire gets established ... in these continuous fuels, we could see what we call ‘plume-dominated fire behavior.’ We are trying to eliminate that potential anywhere near our lines, because if we build up a plume, it could spot over our lines, and any fire over the lines would be very resistant to control,” Burns said. Temperatures in the fire zone Saturday were predicted to be in the low 100s in lower elevations and high 80s in higher elevations, with winds from the west and northwest, and the potential for gusts to reach up to 15-20 mph. Emergency services officials reported that so far 132 structures in the fire zone have been destroyed, including 87 homes, with the rest being garages, outbuildings and commercial structures. Four structures had partial damage. Officials said their damage assessment is about 50% complete, with 274 structures inspected so far, meaning 134 structures they have looked at in the fire zone were not damaged. Four people have been killed in the fire, but police have not yet identified any of the victims. The cause of the McKinney Fire remains unknown. The fire was reported Saturday morning at 60,044 acres, with 30% containment, up from 59,636 acres reported Friday morning. The lightning-sparked Yeti and Alex fires, burning a few miles west of the McKinney Fire near the town of Seiad Valley, were reported Saturday morning at a combined 7,721 acres. The Alex Fire was reported as 20% contained, with zero percent containment on the Yeti Fire. Total personnel on the Yeti and Alex fires is 1,106. Officials said 336 structures remain threatened by the fires, but so far none have been destroyed and no injuries have been reported. On the McKinney Fire, 2,783 personnel were reported. Multiple Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff and www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountyOES Additional evacuation information and a map can be found on the Zonehaven site at: https://community.zonehaven.com/ A shelter has been established at Karuk Wellness Center at 1403 Kahtishraam, Yreka, CA, 96097. Highway 96 remains closed through the fire area. The Pacific Crest Trail is closed between Etna Summit and Mount Ashland, a distance of 110 miles. Fire restrictions are in effect on the Klamath National Forest. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices/ Reach Mail Tribune editor David Smigelski at 541-776-4484 or [email protected], or reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected].