Hundreds of firefighters in California are battling the state’s largest wildfire this year.
The McKinney Fire, which began on Friday in northern Siskiyou County, has already burned 21,000 hectares (52,500 acres), according to the state’s fire service.
Authorities reported that at least 2,000 residents and trekkers on the Pacific Crest hiking trail had evacuated the area. Homes have been demolished.
According to the most recent emergency service report, it was 0 percent contained as of Sunday.
As a result of California’s persistent drought, a red flag warning indicating the threat of dangerous fire conditions is in effect.
A state of emergency was declared in Siskiyou county on Saturday, after homes were destroyed and infrastructure was threatened, state governor Gavin Newsom said.
The fire was “intensified and spread by dry fuels, extreme drought conditions, high temperatures, winds and lightning storms”, he added.
Authorities warn that possible thunderstorms could result in more fires developing in the coming days.
The US Forest Service warned that conditions could be “extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic, and extremely strong, causing the fire to spread in any direction”.
Meteorologist Brad Schaaf told the New York Times, however, that smoke from the McKinney blaze could lower temperatures, which would then counteract some of the dangerous “thunderstorm ingredients”.
The fire is the second major blaze to hit the state in recent days. The Oak Fire, near Yosemite National Park, is still roaring after eight days but has been 67% contained, the fire department Cal Fire said.
California, which is facing serious drought conditions, still has months of its fire season ahead.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
