Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size amid hot and windy conditions, forcing evacuation orders as they quickly encroached on neighborhoods.
In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which started on Friday, went from charring just over 1 square mile (1 km²) to burning up to 62 square miles (160 km²) on Saturday in an area mostly rural nearby. the Oregon state line, according to fire officials.
The fire has burned at least a dozen homes and wildlife has been seen fleeing the area to avoid the flames. At least 2,000 people were evacuated.
Meanwhile, in Montana, the Elmo Wildfire nearly tripled to more than 11 square miles just a few miles from the town of Elmo. And roughly 200 miles to the south, Idaho residents remained under evacuation orders as the Moose Fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest charred more than 67.5 square miles of timberland near the city of Salmon. It was contained in 17%.
A significant buildup of vegetation was fueling the McKinney fire, said Tom Stokesberry, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman for the region.
“It’s a very dangerous fire, the geography there is steep and rugged, and that particular area hasn’t burned in a long time,” he said.
“It continues to grow with erratic winds and thunderstorms in the area and we’re in the triple digits,” said Caroline Quintanilla, spokeswoman for the Klamath National Forest.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility in making decisions about emergency response and recovery efforts and accessing federal aid. It also allows “firefighting resources from other states to assist California crews in fighting the fires,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
With red flag warnings in effect for the region and lightning predicted for the next few days, resources from across California were being brought in to help fight the region’s fires, said Stokesberry, the U.S. Forest Service spokesman .
McKinney’s explosive growth forced crews to shift from trying to control the fire’s perimeter to trying to protect homes and critical infrastructure like water tanks and power lines, and help with evacuations in County Siskiyou, further north in California.
Deputies and law enforcement were knocking on doors at the Yreka County seat and the city of Fort Jones to urge residents to get out and evacuate their livestock safely to trailers. Automated calls were also sent to landline telephone lines because there were areas without cell phone service.
More than 100 homes were ordered to be evacuated and authorities warned people to be on high alert. Smoke from the fire caused sections of Highway 96 to be closed.
The Pacific Coast Trail Association urged hikers to reach the nearest town, while the US Forest Service closed a 110-mile section of the trail from Etna’s summit to the camp Mt Ashland, Southern Oregon.
Oregon state representative Dacia Grayber, who is a firefighter, was camping with her husband, who is also a firefighter, near the California state line when strong winds woke them up shortly after midnight.
The sky was bright with lightning strikes in the clouds as ash blew over them, even though they were in Oregon, about 10 miles (about 16 km) away. The fire’s intense heat had pushed up a massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud, which can produce its own weather system, including winds and thunderstorms, Grayber said.
“These were some of the worst winds I’ve ever been in and we’re used to big fires,” he said. “I thought he was going to rip the tent off the roof of our truck. We got out of there.”
On their way out, they encountered hikers on the Pacific Coast Trail fleeing to safety.
“The scary part for us was the wind speed,” he said. “It went from a fairly cool, cool night to dry, hot hurricane-force winds.”
In western Montana, the wind-driven Elmo Fire forced the evacuation of homes and livestock as it moved through grass and timber, according to The National Interagency Fire Center, based in Idaho. The agency estimates that it would take almost a month to contain the fire.
Smoke closed a portion of Highway 28 between Hot Springs and Elmo due to thick smoke, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.
Crews from several different agencies battled the fire Saturday, including the Salish Confederate Fire Division and Kootenai Tribes. Six helicopters were making drops on the fire, aided by 22 engines on the ground.
In Idaho, more than 930 wildland firefighters and support personnel were battling the Moose Fire Saturday and protecting homes, energy infrastructure and the Highway 93 corridor, a major north-south route.
A red flag warning said the weather could get worse with the forecast calling for a “dry storm”, with lightning, wind and no rain.
In Hawaii, firefighters and helicopters were battling flames Saturday evening in Maui near Paia Bay. The Maui County Emergency Management Agency said roads have been closed and advised residents and travelers to avoid the area. It is not clear how many hectares have burned. A red flag warning is in effect Sunday.
Meanwhile, crews made significant progress fighting another major wildfire in California that forced thousands to evacuate near Yosemite National Park earlier this month. The Oak fire was 52 percent contained Saturday, according to an incident update from Cal Fire. But amid scorching temperatures the danger wasn’t quite over, with structures and homes at risk until the fire was fully extinguished.
The fires come as searing temperatures scorch the Pacific Northwest, the West remains dry in a record drought and severe storms caused flash flooding in several states. In Kentucky, flash flooding has claimed the lives of at least 25 people in what experts have called a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event.