Siskiyou County, Calif. — “It’s all hands on deck when we have an emergency like this.”
In just 24 hours, the Klamathon Fire has burned well beyond 9,000 acres in Siskiyou County.
At least 400 people have been evacuated from Klamathon to Hilt, and more than a dozen structures have been lost.
“Unfortunately, wildland fire moves quick and fast, and it’s devastating,” Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Kelly Giordano said.
So devastating, that quite a few staying at the Jackson Street Elementary School Shelter have nowhere to call home tonight.
In one Hornbrook neighborhood, almost an entire street was burned down.
“Our house was the only one standing. Everybody else’s house was gone,” Hornbrook resident Andy Herskind said.
Somehow, Andy Herskind’s home of 27 years is still standing.
“We own it, and when you own something I think it means more to you, and to lose it would have been a disaster for us, because that’s all we got” Herskind said.
Sadly, not everyone was as fortunate.
Herskind says the intense wind spreading the flames was nothing like he’s ever seen in his 15 years of firefighting.
“I’ve been on a lot of fires, but I’ve never been on one that moves that fast with that kind of wind. It was on us just like that,” Herskind said.
Only one death has been reported so far, but it’s not confirmed whether it’s from the fire or not.
As for the firefighters, two have been sent to the hospital for burn injuries, and one engine is damaged.
Other than that, many helicopters, air tankers, and ground crews are doing all they can to fight the flames.
“This is our home, this is our community, and we’re gonna pull together, and we’re gonna come out on top,” Herskind said.
Although rumors have been going around about what started the fire, Cal Fire says they are still investigating the cause.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.