The following is a press release from the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office:
On Sunday, July 31, 2022, at approximately 9:57 a.m., fire personnel located two deceased individuals inside a vehicle that was burned in the path of the McKinney Fire. The vehicle was located in a residential driveway along Doggett Creek Road, which is off of Highway 96, west of the community of Klamath River, California.
**There will be no additional information pending positive identification and notifications to next-of-kin.**
Just a reminder that when given the evacuation order it’s time to BUG OUT! Sad these folks waited a bit too long.
Many people made the same comments after our 2017 fire in Redwood Valley. I personally find the lack of public education about surviving a fire with no time to spare disturbing. There is lots of info on preventing a fire but virtually NONE on driving out or what to do if you can’t get out.
A man on Tomki in 2017, legally blind in his 90s, a Vet, woke up to the fire and walked through flames, hitting out the fires on his burning pants, to the dry creek bed where he dug through coals to get to the unburned sand underneath. He hundled there in his shelter till morning when he hauled himself up and walked back to the still burning road and flagged down an officer some distance away.
Do you live rural? Are there trees along your driveway that could block your way out? Do you have a cleared emergency space on your property you could run to if your road is blocked? Do you have fire suits? Fire blankets? Water? Do you have a fire season community nightime watch for high risk days? Do you know your neighbors?
Public Fire Education needs to take a turn towards emergency sitiation drills for the public.
In my humble opinion.