At least 2,000 people evacuated due to new wildfire in California NOW

A wildfire in the US state of California has quickly become the biggest blaze of the year so far. The McKinney Fire, near the Oregon border, started Friday and grew to more than 20,000 acres in 48 hours.

At least 2,000 people were evacuated. Governor Gavin Newsom has declared an emergency for the region.

Evacuations also included at least 60 hikers hiking the isolated Pacific Coast Trail in the area. This route runs from the southern border with Mexico through California, Oregon and Washington to the border with Canada.

According to the authorities, the hikers were not in immediate danger, but due to the unpredictability of the fire, they were recovered as a precaution by the emergency services.

There are so-called “red flag” weather conditions in the area. They make fire fighting difficult. This mainly concerns heat, drought and high winds. This allows the fire to spread easily.

In recent weeks, the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park has been the biggest fire of the year. This fire now covers 19,000 hectares and “65% is under control”. Dozens of houses were destroyed by fire. There are no casualties.