McKinney Fire

McKinney Fire
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Remains of the Klamath River Community Hall, seen 1 month after the McKinney Fire
Date(s)
  • July 29 (29-07) –
  • September 7, 2022 (2022-09-07)
  • (41 days)
Location
Coordinates41°49′59″N 122°53′38″W / 41.833°N 122.894°W / 41.833; -122.894
Statistics[1]
Burned area60,138 acres (24,337 ha; 94 sq mi; 243 km2)
Impacts
Deaths
  • 4 civilians
  • 0 firefighters
Non-fatal injuries
  • 0 civilians
  • 12 firefighters
Evacuated5,800
Structures destroyed
  • 185 destroyed
  • 11 damaged
Damage$87.4 million (cost of suppression)
Ignition
CauseUnder investigation
Map
Refer to caption.
The footprint of the McKinney Fire
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Refer to caption
Location of the McKinney Fire

The McKinney Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Klamath National Forest in western Siskiyou County during the 2022 California wildfire season.[2][3] The fire was named for its ignition point near McKinney Creek Road, where the fire began on July 29, 2022, at approximately 2:15 p.m. PDT. The McKinney Fire experienced explosive weather-driven growth over the next day and a half, consuming more than 50,000 acres in less than 36 hours, destroying at least 185 structures (including most of the community of Klamath River) and causing 4 fatalities.[4][5][6]

The McKinney Fire burned 60,138 acres (24,337 hectares) in total.[2] Subsequent precipitation over the burn scar led to localized flooding and debris flows, which damaged infrastructure and killed "tens of thousands" of fish in the Klamath River and its tributaries.[7] It was the deadliest wildfire of 2022 in California, the second-most destructive (after the Oak Fire in Mariposa County) and the second-largest, surpassed by the Mosquito Fire in Placer and El Dorado counties.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b "McKinney Fire Incident Report". www.fire.ca.gov. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "McKinney Fire Information – InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.nwcg.gov. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "McKinney Fire Incident Report". California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Medina, Eduardo (July 31, 2022). "McKinney Fire Becomes California's Largest of 2022, Burning 52,000 Acres". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Death toll in McKinney Fire, California's largest, rises to 4". www.cbsnews.com. August 2, 2022. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "California's McKinney fire has taken 5 lives including that of a fire lookout". NPR.org. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).