Officials said in todays briefing that fire activity was again mitigated over night by cloudy, cooler conditions.
On the McKinney Fire, no perimeter growth was observed. Crews were able to work successfully behind the city of Yreka, bringing dozer line along the ridge to protect the structures. In the steep area on the fire’s southern edge, hand crews worked on direct line construction near Baldy Gap, and in Humbug Creek. The fire continued to back down toward the river in the Walker Creek area, and crews worked there to protect structures. On the west side of the fire, dozers are working there way into the fire’s edge, constructing line from Steelhead and Scott Bar to cut off the fire’s western and southern spread.
A portion of Highway 96 remains closed due to the fire in the area.
Multiple Evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect.
Authorities now say there have are been four confirmed fatalities as a result of the McKinney Fire.
Here is the list of current resources working the incident: 10 helicopters, 121 engines, 47 dozers, 42 water tenders, 1363 personnel, 35 crews.
The McKinney Fire remains at 55,493 acres with 0% containment. The cause is under investigation.
Lower temperatures and higher relative humidity, including rain over some areas of the fire, moderated fire behavior allowed firefighters to make good progress on the fire yesterday. In the absence of the explosive fire behavior observed previously, firefighters were able to take a more direct posture and engage directly on the McKinney, China 2, and Alex fires.
The China 2 fire has burned up to dozer lines on China Peak as well as to Highway 96. Firefighters will continue to work those lines to hold the fire. Engine crews are prepping structures south of Highway 96.
There was no significant movement on the Alex Fire. Helicopters assisted hand crews on the ground with water drops.
Today firefighters will continue to look for areas on the fires where they can have direct attack opportunities as well as work to place contingency line in areas where direct attack is not possible. Life, firefighter safety, and property remain the most significant priority to the incident. The combination of moisture and thunderstorms in the forecast are creating an unstable atmosphere which may make firefighting conditions much more hazardous with wind speeds potentially reaching 50 mph during those storms.
The Yeti Complex (combined Alex Fire and China 2 Fire) are at 2,430 acres with 0% containment. There are approximately 450 personnel working on the fires.
