McFarland Fire Grows Rapidly in Northern California Forest

Evacuation warnings were issued as the McFarland fire in California’s Shasta and Trinity counties reached 15,925 acres (about 25 square miles) and was five percent contained as of Tuesday, August 3.

Shasta-Trinity National Forest said the blaze’s growth “doubled what the fire behavior models predicted.”

A combination of hot temperatures and very low relative humidity was expected to create critical fire weather conditions into Wednesday, according to the forest service.

This aerial footage filmed by the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 187th Airlift Squadron Tech Sgt Kurt Riskey shows towering plumes of orange smoke over the forest fire on Monday. Credit: Tech Sgt Kurt Riskey, 187th Airlift Squadron/Wyoming Air National Guard via Storyful