Rainfall and better weather on Tuesday gave firefighters some respite in Northern California, where the year’s largest fire, which killed two people, raged out of control.
• Also read: Two dead in California’s biggest wildfire of the year
• Also read: Calm on the forest fire front in northern Morocco
The McKinney fire has been raging since Friday. It extends over 22,500 hectares and particularly threatens the small town of Yreka.
Thanks to lower temperatures and occasional rainfall, “no extension of the fire was observed,” the authorities wrote late Monday.
But optimism remained cautious as a weather services warning remained active over the risk of lightning. After a lull until early Tuesday afternoon, more thunderstorms are expected, it said.
“The vegetation in the area is extremely dry and the continued threat of thunderstorms and associated strong and unpredictable winds could cause the fire to flare up again,” the California Fire Department warned.
Bulldozers were deployed to protect buildings near the town of Yreka (population 8,000).
On Sunday morning, the bodies of two deceased were discovered in a charred vehicle further north, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, where a state of emergency was declared.
Evacuation orders were issued in this area of California, in neighboring Oregon.
“I’m persevering and trying not to leave too early because I’m helping my mother who is not in good physical condition,” Rafael Franco, a resident who received the mandatory evacuation order.
“If at the last minute I see the fire crossing the ridge where we are then we’re going to grab what we can and go and we’re going to move on and hope for the best,” he adds.
Marjie Lawrence, who hastily left the town of Klamath River on Friday night, said she returned to her home to retrieve personal belongings. “We took stuff with us in case the house totally burns down, stuff we wanted but not enough,” she explained.
The fire season in California, a state in an ongoing drought situation, is expected to last several months. The frequency and intensity of these fires are exacerbated by global warming.