The McKinney fire has been raging since Friday.
It extends over 22,500 ha, and threatens the small town of Yreka in particular.
Bulldozers were positioned to protect the buildings of the city which has 8,0000 inhabitants.
Precipitation and better weather on Tuesday brought some respite to firefighters in northern California, where the largest blaze of the year, however, still remained uncontrollable.
On Sunday morning, the bodies of two deceased people were discovered in a charred vehicle further north, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office, where a state of emergency has been declared.
Saving weather
Thanks to lower temperatures and scattered rainfall, “no expansion of the perimeter of the fire has been observed,” authorities wrote late Monday.
But optimism remained cautious, as an alert from the weather services due to the threat of lightning remained active.
After a lull through early Tuesday afternoon, further thunderstorms are expected, they said.
“The vegetation in the area is extremely dry and the continued threat of thunderstorms, and associated strong and unpredictable winds, could cause the fire to flare up again,” warned the California fire agency.
Residents told to leave
Evacuation orders have been issued in this area of California, neighboring Oregon.
“If, at the last minute, I see the fire crossing the ridge where we are, then we will grab what we can and leave, and we will move forward hoping for the best,” he adds.
Marjie Lawrence, who hastily left the town of Klamath River on Friday night, said she returned to her home to collect personal belongings.
“We took stuff in case the house totally burned down, stuff we wanted, but not enough,” she explained.
The fire season in California, a state in a persistent drought situation, is expected to last several months.
The frequency and strength of these fires are exacerbated by global warming.
