Dozens of hikers on the famed Pacific Crest Trail have been located and evacuated as the McKinney Fire rages along the California-Oregon border.
At least 60 hikers were found on the trail in the Klamath National Forest and escorted to safety, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told NewsWatch 12 that while no hikers were in imminent danger, the remote nature of the trail and rapidly changing wildfire conditions made search and rescue the best option
The Pacific Crest Trail is more than 2,600 miles of varied and stunning hiking from the California-Mexico border to the Washington-Canada border. Hundreds of people are thought to attempt to complete the full walk each year, but hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to enjoy some section of the route annually.
In response to the fire, the Forest Service has closed 110 miles of the PCT. The emergency closure order will be in effect until August 30.
“The closure is from the summit of Etna (mile 1600) in northern California to Mt. Ashland Campground (~mile 1710) in southern Oregon,” says the PCT’s official website. “If you are on the PCT in this area, please evacuate to the nearest town.”
This is a carousel. Use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate
1 of 6 The Klamath River Community Hall is seen destroyed by the McKinney Fire in the community of Klamath River, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)Scott Stoddard/APSShow moreShow’ n less 2 of 6 In this remote image provided by Cal Fire, the McKinney Fire burns in Siskiyou County as seen from the Antelope Mountain Yreka 1 lookout camera early Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Cal Fire via AP) Show moreShow less3 of 6 4 of 6 A pickup truck and trailer that burned overnight in The center of State Highway 96 is seen destroyed by the McKinney Fire in the community of Klamath River, Calif., Saturday, 30 July 2022. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP)Scott Stoddard/APSShow moreShow less 5 of 6 Three plumes of smoke from the McKinney Fire are seen early Saturday, July 30, 2022, from a Department of Forestry and Calif. Fire Protection ornia, Cal Fire, an outdoor camera called Antelope Mt./Yreka. (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection/Cal Fire via AP) Show moreShow less6 of 6
The McKinney fire broke out Friday in the Klamath National Forest, about 15 miles south of the Oregon border, sending up a massive plume of pyrocumulus clouds and triggering a flurry of evacuations in small forest communities across much of the north. of the golden state. The McKinney fire was reported to be 300 acres uncontained Friday night, and grew overnight, reaching 30,000 acres by Saturday evening, the U.S. Forest Service said.
“Because of the erratic winds, the fire is going all over the place,” Caroline Quintanilla, public information officer for the US Forest Service, told SFGATE on Saturday afternoon.
For complete updates on the McKinney Fire, click here.
SFGATE News Editor Amy Graff contributed to this report.