Single Publication

 Much of the McKinney Fire saw rainfall overnight, keeping fire growth minimal. The fire continues to actively back toward structures in the Walker Creek area, and night crews were on hand to do structure protection there. The southern and eastern edges of the fire, closest to Fort Jones and Yreka, showed very little growth. The China 2 Fire (west of Seiad Valley and south of Highway 96) did not receive any precipitation but showed only moderate growth due to the high humidity. To the north, the Alex Fire (at the summit above Doggett Creek) received heavy rain.

While last night’s weather mitigated fire spread, vegetation in the area is extremely dry and the continued threat of thunderstorms and the associated strong, erratic winds could result in increased fire behavior. Firefighters will take advantage of the moderated conditions to construct containment lines today, while staying aware of the continued threat for convective activity in the area.

There have been numerous lightning strikes in the area in the last 48 hours, and at least 12 holdover fires have been detected on the Klamath National Forest, in addition to the ones listed above. They range in size from less than 1/10th acre to several acres. All are being fully suppressed.

Weather:

The low-pressure system keeping high humidity in the fire area is expected to hang on for another day, and the National Weather Service has issued another Red Flag Warning in the fire area from 12pm to 8pm tonight. The Red Flag Warning is for abundant lightning on dry fuels.

Evacuations and closures:
Multiple Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect. For current updates on evacuations, visit the Facebook pages of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and Siskiyou County Office of Emergency Services. Additional evacuation information and map can be found on the Zonehaven website. A shelter has been established at the Weed Community Center, 161 E Lincoln Ave., Weed, CA 96094.

Highway 96 remains closed through the fire area.

Fire restrictions are in effect on the Klamath National Forest. For more information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/klamath/alerts-notices/