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Klamathon Fire Grows To 30k, 10 People Reported Missing

The Klamathon Fire spreading west from the Interstate 5 freeway Friday afternoon.
April Ehrlich | JPR
The Klamathon Fire spreading west from the Interstate 5 freeway Friday afternoon.

UPDATE: As of Sunday morning, the Klamathon fire has grown to 30,500 acres and is 25 percent contained. The fire continues to spread into the Klamath National Forest. 

Ten people are reported missing in the Siskiyou County area.

One Hornbrook resident has died, and one firefighter is hospitalized with severe burns, but he is expected to make a full recovery. The agencies didn't provide more information about the people who are missing or the person who has died.

Hornbrook is still without running water and electricity. The fire damaged the city’s water treatment plant and several utility lines. Evacuation orders are still in place for Hornbrook, Colestin and the Irongate Reservoir. Winds are now pushing the fire southwest. That’s “good for everyone,” National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Thompson told the crowd.

That may hinder the fire’s spread further into Oregon. As a precaution, the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure for lands southeast of Ashland Saturday afternoon. The fire is not currently threatening the city of Ashland, the city’s emergency management team reported Saturday.

The fire began in Hornbrook Thursday afternoon, then headed north up the Interstate 5 freeway. It has destroyed 31 houses, an apartment building, and 40 non-residential buildings.

NASA satellite data show the fire split into three parts: a patch north of the Klamath River in California, just west of the I-5 freeway; a large patch north and west of the Irongate Reservoir; and another bleeding into BLM roads in Oregon.

One attendee at the community meeting in Yreka Saturday night expressed concern about looting while evacuation orders are in place for Hilt and Hornbrook. Siskiyou County Sheriff John Lopey said there are more than a dozen officers patrolling the areas. They have made one looting arrest so far.

There is one evacuation order in Oregon: Colestin Road and Old Highway 99 from the California border to Mt. Ashland Ski Road. There are two evacuation warnings: Mt. Ashland Ski Road from the ski resort to Old Highway 99, and Old Highway 99 from Mt. Ashland Ski Road to the 6700-block.

California and Oregon firefighting agencies will continue holding community meetings every evening at 6 p.m., though the location will likely change each night. They are considering holding a meeting in Oregon.

For more information about evacuation orders or animal services, visit the CalFire incident website. For more information about power outages, visit Pacific Power’s website.

Copyright 2018 Jefferson Public Radio

April Ehrlich began freelancing for Jefferson Public Radio in the fall of 2016, and then officially joined the team as its Morning Edition Host and a Jefferson Exchange producer in August 2017.