Lightning sparks cluster of wildfires in Northern California. Some evacuations ordered

Triple-digit heat and lightning storms threatened to further inflame a series of wildfires sparked by lightning in the far reaches of Northern California’s forestlands Wednesday.

The largest of the blazes, the Head Fire, exploded to more than 2,500 acres Tuesday in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County and has prompted evacuations. It is one of at least 19 fires collectively known by the U.S. Forest Service as the Klamath National Forest August Lightning Fires complex.

The Head Fire, burning at the confluence of the Klamath and Scott rivers, was estimated to have burned about 2,700 acres, Forest Service officials said, after a period of “extremely dynamic” fire conditions, which included lightning strikes.

Officials said Tuesday night that the Head Fire “experienced a weather event resulting in extreme fire behavior and a pyro-cumulus building over the fire.”

A red flag warning is in effect Wednesday until 11 p.m. for Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, western Modoc and Siskiyou counties due to the risk of lightning on dry fuels. High temperatures and high altitudes are also expected to make firefighting efforts challenging.

The Head Fire was burning near the burn scar of last year’s McKinney Fire, which killed four and torched more than 60,000 acres as it leveled the town of Klamath River. Among the dead were a veteran Forest Service fire lookout who perished in her home and two people who were found in a vehicle in their driveway.

The blaze is the largest to occur in Northern California this year after an exceptionally wet winter and relatively quiet summer fire season. Only two Southern California fires — the Rabbit Fire in Riverside County and the Almond Fire in Kern County — have burned more acreage this year, according to Cal Fire.

The other fires remained small by comparison, with the second-largest blaze at 50 acres. Smoke jumpers had been tasked to fight some of the most remote fires, the forest service said.

The fires were ignited by storms that generated at least 673 lightning strikes in Siskiyou County this week, Cal Fire’s Siskiyou Unit said in a social media post.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has issued mandatory evacuation orders for the following areas: south of Hamburg, east of Horse Creek Road, south of Highway 96, north of Highway 96 and south of Forest Route 46N46. A full list of evacuation zones are available through the Genesys Project, formerly known as ZoneHaven.

Road closures are in effect for Highway 96 and Scott River Road, the U.S. Forest Service said. A portion of the Pacific Crest Trail is also closed from Etna Summit to the Oregon border.

“Hikers and all backpackers are asked to stay off the trails in that area,” the forest service said.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning issued additional evacuations for the Ash Fire burning near Jims Camp and Interstate 5, right on the eastern edge of Klamath National Forest’s main section.

The Ash Fire held steady at 5 to 10 acres Wednesday morning. Per radio traffic, air tankers have been called back to Redding and helicopters continued to work the fire, assisting crews on the ground.

An emergency shelter has been set up at the Kahtishraam Wellness Center located at 1403 Kahtrishraam in Yreka. An additional shelter has been opened by the Karuk Tribe at the Wellness Center at Happy Camp located at 537 Jacobs Way. Showers and cots are available.

Animal shelters for those affected by the fire have been set up across Yreka. Dogs can be taken to Rescue Ranch Yreka located at 2216 East Oberlin Road. Cats are being accepted at SNIP of Siskiyou County in the armory building at 1712 Fairgrounds Road. And livestock can be taken to Siskiyou Golden Fair at 1712 Fairlane Road.

No injuries have been reported and there were no immediate reports of any homes damaged.

Fire engines from Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, Folsom Fire Department and the Cosumnes Community Services Fire District responded to the fires as a regional strike team early Wednesday.