Worst this year Fire in Californiaforcing thousands to flee their homes and turning thousands of crowns to ashes, has caused the deaths of two people, the US state fire department said today.

The fire, dubbed “McKinney”, has destroyed nearly 225,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest since Friday and has not been brought under control despite the mobilization of a powerful fire force.

This is California’s biggest wildfire since the start of the year and is often threatened by a fiery nightmare. However, the size of the McKinney fire currently remains smaller than that of the so-called Dixie, which burned over 4 million acres last year.

Two people were found burned in a burning car on Sunday morning, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said today. Firefighters believe the victims tried to flee, but their vehicle was engulfed in flames, Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue told ABC.

Strong winds, heat and localized storms contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

More than 2,000 residents of northern California, near the Oregon border, were ordered to evacuate. According to authorities in Jackson County, Oregon, another 60 tourists were swept off the Pacific Crest.

About 100 buildings, mostly residential buildings, were damaged, according to a Siskiyou County Sheriff’s spokesman.

Wairiki resident Larry Castle told the Sacramento Bee how he, his wife and three dogs left their home in the middle of the night with only the bare necessities. He said the fires of recent years had taught them that the situation could become “very serious” at any moment.

About 850 firefighters fought the blaze today, according to the Wildfire Coordination Center.

In late July, a major wildfire forced central California authorities to issue an evacuation order. A few weeks later, another fire threatened the giant sequoias of the famous Yosemite Park.

The American West has experienced its worst wildfires in recent years, a phenomenon that scientists attribute mainly to the climate crisis.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}