August 15, 2023 at 10:11 PM | Updated: August 16, 2023, 4:38 am
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAMBURG, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire sparked by wind gusts from a thunderstorm tore through national forest lands near California’s border with Oregon, prompting evacuations in the rural area.
The Siskiyou County Chimney, nicknamed Head Fire, is one of at least 19 chimneys, most of them small, that burst in the Klamath National Forest as storms passed through the domain and caused lightning and downdrafts that propelled the flames through forests and rural lands. Estimates Tuesday night placed the chimney at a domain of 4. 7 to 6. 3 square miles (12. 2 to 16. 2 square kilometers).
Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued, forest manager Rachel Smith said on Facebook.
“If you are in this area, get out immediately,” he said.
Within hours, the chimney evolved and the chimneys located from the main chimney jumped into the Klamath River, according to the U. S. Forest Service. U. S.
The Happy Camp department of the Happy Camp/Oak Knoll Ranger district has shown fires in total, up to 50 acres (20 hectares) in size, Smith said.
“The weather is causing active chimney behavior in some chimneys, adding the chimneys of Elliott, Malone and Titus,” he added.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or homes burned Tuesday night. However, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for several areas, adding one south of Hamburg, a riverside network of about a hundred people.
State Route 96 also closed.
The Head Fire burning near the site of the McKinney Fire, which began on July 29 last year. The chimney burst in the Klamath National Forest and exploded when a storm created winds of up to 80 km/h. It burned much of the Klamath River, a picturesque network of about two hundred people, and killed four people, adding two who were possibly seeking to flee the flames. Their bodies were discovered inside a charred vehicle in the driveway of a house.
A number of other lightning-related fires were reported Tuesday in Northern California, adding Mendocino County, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the Tahoe area, though the maximum was small and temporarily controlled, fire officials said.