State Of Emergency As Uncontrolled Wildfire Ravages Siskiyou County, California

A wildfire in Northern California that exploded in size over the weekend has killed at least two people, forced thousands to evacuate and grown into the state’s largest wildfire this year, with lightning Monday threatening its further expansion.

The McKinney Fire broke out Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border and has since ripped through more than 52,000 acres, advancing on homes and forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate Saturday, authorities said.

Two people were found dead Sunday morning inside a vehicle that burned in the path of the fire, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said.

The two were found on a residential driveway along Doggett Creek Road near Highway 96, the sheriff’s office posted Monday morning on Facebook. Officials have not released any more information on them.