HAMBURG, Calif. — Rural areas close to the state border of California with Oregon were under evacuation orders Wednesday after a Forest fire triggered by lightning tore through the lands of a national forest, authorities said.
The fire in Siskiyou County, nicknamed the Head fire, was one of at least 20 fires — mostly small — that broke out in the Klamath National Forest when thunderstorms brought lightning and winds that spread flames across forests and rural lands. .
“This has been a fire that has spread extremely quickly,” Rachel Smith, a forestry supervisor, told The Associated Press. “In a matter of minutes, the fire grew yesterday afternoon from just 50 acres (20 hectares) to almost 1,500 acres (607 hectares). This is the type of growth that we had not experienced in our forest until about two years ago.”
An overflight late Tuesday estimated the fire covered 4.2 square miles (10.8 square kilometers), slightly smaller than earlier estimates after it grew so rapidly in just a few hours. A statement from the forestry agency said the fire activity had subsided overnight.
Firefighters were working to protect homes near the confluence of the Scott and Klamath rivers, a sparsely populated area located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the California-Oregon state line and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the state. northwest of Mount Shasta.
There were no reports of injuries or homes burned as of Tuesday night. However, the Siskiyou County Police Department issued evacuation orders for several areas, including one south of Hamburg, a riverside community of about 100 residents. Other areas received warnings that they were ready to evacuate.
FOUNTAIN: PA
