Deadly California wildfire wipes out scenic river town
A sheriff's deputy searches a scorched property following the McKinney Fire on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, in Klamath National Forest, Calif. His team did not find any fire victims at the location. (PC:AP Photo)
California, The Gulf Observer: Roger Derry, 80, and his son have lived together in the tiny scenic hamlet of Klamath River in Northern California for more than 40 years.
They know most of the town’s 200 or so residents.
Now, they’re one of the few families left after California’s largest and deadliest wildfire of the year raged through the modest homes and stores of the riverside town.
“It’s very sad. It’s very disheartening,” Derry said. “Some of our oldest homes, 100-year-old homes, are gone. It’s a small community. Good people, good folks, for the most part, live here and in time will rebuild. But it’s going to take some time now.”
The McKinney Fire that erupted last Friday remained out of control, despite some progress as firefighters took advantage of thunderstorms that dumped rain that temporarily took a bit of heat out of the parched, scorched region not far from the Oregon border.
The area saw another thunderstorm Tuesday that dumped heavy rain and swelled rivers.
The fire has burned more than 88 square miles (228 square kilometers), and is the largest of several wildfires burning in the Klamath National Forest.
The fire didn’t grow on Tuesday, and fire officials said crews were able to use bulldozers to carve firebreaks along a ridge to protect homes and buildings in the county seat of Yreka.
