Flames from the McKinney fire burn beyond firefighters in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Sunday, July 31, 2022.
Photo Credit: Noah Berger)AP
McKinney Fire, July 2022
The McKinney Fire, a destructive wildfire that burned the Klamath National Forest in western Siskiyou County, California, ignited on July 29, 2022 at approximately 2:15pm before undergoing explosive growth over the next day and a half.
The fire consumed more than 50,000 acres in less than 36 hours, destroying at least 185 structures (including most of the unincorporated community of Klamath River).
Our beloved Community Hall was victim to the fire as well as 118 homes of our community members. We are on a journey of recovery, and are working hard to stay connected as a community through it all.
The century-old Klamath River Community Hall lies in ruins after it was destroyed by the McKinney Fire in the Klamath National Forest northwest of Yreka, Calif., on Aug. 1, 2022.
Photo Credit: David McNew, AFP via Getty Images
A firetruck drives along California Highway 96 as the McKinney Fire burned in Klamath National Forest, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022—the largest fire in California this year.
Photo Credit: Noah Berger, AP
The Hall as we knew it -- we thank all of our donors, volunteers, and supporters who are helping us recover the legacy of our hall.
Rebuilding the Heart & Soul of the River Community
From the moment we could access the property again, we began dreaming of how we could rebuild our beloved community hall. Our first project was to mill lumber from logs that were donated to us by the Forest Service. We were fortunate to be helped with that endeavor by Rogue Timber Works and numerous local volunteers.
As a result of this project, we were able to mill most of the lumber needed to build our new pavilion and on July 20, 2024 we celebrated the grand opening. The pavilion has since been used for may events and serves as a resting spot for weary travelers on Hwy 96.
Since then, we have been working diligently to rebuild the hall and restore the property for our community. It’s been a long and challenging journey to get to where we are today and we are not done. Many meetings have been held to determine the best design we feel we can afford and address the various obstacles. The original building was built below the floodplain, so the new building needs to be raised. We also need to have a new well and septic system installed. Through all these challenges though, we have preliminary drawings and are in the early stages of having the new well installed.
Below are the conceptual floor plan and assorted 3D renderings of the basic design.
As we continue to make progress toward our ultimate goal we will update this page.
Our volunteer board of directors would like to express our sincere appreciation for the help of the many contractors, businesses, engineers, governmental agencies and volunteers who have helped us get to this point. We would also like to thank the many individuals and organizations who have graciously donated to our rebuilding fund. We would not be where we are today without your support.