California's largest blaze this year is uncontrollable

With a heat wave striking the region, a wildfire has hit California’s northern border, recording the state’s largest blaze this year.

The wildfire exploded over the weekend, resulting in evacuations and forcing nearly 2,000 to leave home. The blaze, called the McKinney Fire, erupted Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border and destroyed more than 52,000 acres, according to CNN. 

The McKinney Fire was 0% contained. Firefighters continued to make efforts to combat the fire, but lightning and thunderstorms complicated their progress. Moreover, 41 houses and other building were destroyed, USA Today reported.

The dry thunderstorms were caused because the rainfall evaporated before hitting the ground, sparking new fires and fueling existing ones. A Red Flag Warning was announced, as dry lightning, strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity created dangerous fires, CNN said. 

Sadly, two people were found dead inside a vehicle burnt by the McKinney Fire. They were found Sunday morning on a residential driveway along Doggett Creek Road near Highway 96, according to CNN. 

Due to the heat wave, about seven deaths in the Pacific Northwest were reported to be caused by the high temperatures in the area, The Washington Post said.

The Washington Post reported that the McKinney Fire is more than double the size of the next largest wildfire in California this year, the Oak Fire, which has burned more than 19,000 acres in Mariposa County starting July 22. 

It is worth mentioning that the largest fire in the state’s history was the August Complex Fire in 2020, which destroyed more than 1 million acres, according to The Washington Post. 

At the same time, the Elmo Fire in northwest Montana has destroyed more than 10,000 acres, while the Moose Fire in central Idaho has burned more than 48,000 acres. Meanwhile, a wildfire in western Nebraska has forced evacuations and has burned about 13,000 acres, The Washington Post reported.