Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

Cal Fire tweeted that a red flag warning is in effect for parts of Siskiyou and Modoc counties from 2 – 11 p.m. Monday for gusty winds and low relative humidity. Strong winds can contribute to the spread of fire. This is critical fire weather.

The McKinney Fire remained 40% contained Monday evening, with fire crews closely watching for changing weather conditions that could make it difficult to control the 60,379-acre blaze in Siskiyou County.

The fire has virtually wiped out the town of Klamath River. At least four people have been confirmed dead. Initial damage assessments on Friday showed that 132 structures were destroyed, including 87 homes. About 4,500 structures remain threatened.

“On Sunday, Monday of this week we have extremely unstable conditions in the atmosphere. Very hot, dry. Very similar to when this fire started,” Dennis Burnes, a fire behavior analyst with California Interagency Incident Management said during a Saturday morning update at the McKinney fire.

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue echoed those concerns in a post on Twitter on Saturday morning.

“The next two days are expected to be almost identical to when the #McKinney Fire started. We will not be satisfied. We ask you to have the same opinion. Please be ready to evacuate.”

Also Saturday, evacuation orders were issued for the Six Rivers Lightning Complex fire in Humboldt County.

Fire officials identified 12 lightning strikes that started fires Friday. Crews were able to put out four of the flames early. That fire had doubled in size to 1,100 acres as of Sunday morning without any control. Officials went on to describe it as a “very active incident in development.”

Evacuation information is at Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services Facebook page AND Trinity County Office of Emergency Services Facebook page.

On Friday, evacuation warnings were extended to Yeti Complex and Alex Fire burning west of the McKinley Fire near the community of Happy Camp.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County over the weekend.

An evacuation map is available hereand resources for evacuees are listed at Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Facebook page.

In Mariposa County, firefighters continue to gain ground on the Oak Fire burning near Yosemite National Park, and all evacuation orders and advisories have been lifted in populated areas as of August 2. The fire destroyed 193 structures, including 127 homes.

The Oak Fire was 92% contained as of Sunday morning and remained at about 19,000 acres burned.

check out airnow.gov for the latest air quality forecast in your area.