In just 3 days, the McKinney Fire in Northern California has exploded to become the state's largest blaze this year
(CNN)A wildfire in Northern California exploded in size over the weekend, triggering evacuations and becoming the state's largest wildfire so far this year, according to Cal Fire.
The blaze, dubbed the McKinney Fire, broke out Friday afternoon in the Klamath National Forest near the California-Oregon border and has since ripped through more than 52,000 acres, advancing on homes and forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate Saturday, authorities said.
Heavy smoke over the fire helped slow its growth Sunday, but also kept firefighting aircraft grounded, the US Forest Service said in a Sunday night update.
As the weekend ended, the blaze was 0% contained and firefighters face a long battle ahead as lightning and thunderstorms complicated efforts while the flames raced through dry vegetation.
Northern California wildfire exacerbated by weather, causing significant growth
Oregon state Rep. Dacia Grayber was camping with her husband, both firefighters, near the California state line when they woke up to orange skies, hot wind gusts, lightning and blowing ash, she said on Twitter. They evacuated from the campground knowing one of them may return on deployment if the fire grows.
"In 22+ yrs of fire I've never experienced anything like this fire behavior at night. It felt absolutely surreal and not just a little apocalyptic," Grayber tweeted.
The area remained under a Red Flag Warning as a threat of dry lightning, strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity created dangerous fire conditions through Sunday night. "Abundant lightning" is expected through Monday, as well as scattered thunderstorms that could potentially spread the flames out further, according to the National Weather Service.
"These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing fire to spread in any direction," forest service officials said in a news release.
The dry thunderstorms that occurred over the weekend happen when rainfall evaporates before ever hitting the ground, leaving only lightning strikes capable of sparking new fires and fueling existing ones, CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.