#head fire

Excerpt:

Numerous lightning-induced fires are erupting in Northern California as thunderstorms pepper the region amid a scorching heat wave.

Red flag warnings for possible dry thunderstorms are in effect for far Northern California into Oregon, and the Weather Service is warning that any fires that develop “have a high probability of spreading rapidly.” More ignitions are possible through Friday, with a chance of storms lingering into the weekend.

“When we issue red flags like this, that’s the primary concern — that you’ll have so many fires starting that resources could easily be overwhelmed,” said Brian Nieuwenhuis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Medford, Ore.

On Tuesday, the Head Fire erupted in the Klamath National Forest south of the Oregon border, quickly growing to 2,700 acres and forcing urgent evacuations in nearby communities. Additional evacuation orders and warnings were issued Wednesday evening. As of Thursday morning, the blaze was 3,750 acres with no containment.

“Fires can take over those updrafts and sort of create their own weather,” Nieuwenhuis said. “When that happens, those fires can burn pretty quickly.”