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Vegetation fires are wreaking havoc in the western United States, with California, Oregon and Washington the worst hit. In Oregon alone, more than half a million people have been forced to flee their homes, writes CNN. At least 12 people have lost their lives, but an accurate assessment is difficult.
The fire, which spanned 365,000 acres in Oregon, forced more than 500,000 people to flee their homes – more than 10 percent of the state’s population, according to CNN, which cites US authorities.
Gov. Kate Brown warned that the disaster could lead to the worst death toll and destroyed homes caused by wildfires in state history.
“We have never seen a large-scale runaway fire in our state,” Kate Brown said in a news release Thursday.
The fires have already devastated five Oregon cities, where at least two people have lost their lives. Three deaths were reported in California and one child died in Washington, according to state authorities.
In California, the flames have destroyed 1.25 million hectares so far, the authority said Thursday, beating previous annual records.
According to Cal Fire, the fire protection agency, six of the 20 largest wildfires in California history occurred in 2020.
In Portland, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued a municipal alert due to extreme fire conditions, which threaten human lives and homes in both the city and its metropolitan area.
Among other things, alertness enables the activation of evacuation shelters for fire victims and identifies financial resources that can be used to protect public health, safety and welfare.
California authorities are still working to search for 12 missing people in Northern California’s Butte County after a fire broke out near Oroville, Sheriff Kory Honea said, according to the local CBS affiliate.
“Our state is rocked by this terrible onslaught of dry weather, warm winds, and drought conditions, and the phenomenon will not be a one-time event. Unfortunately, it’s a sign that predicts the future, “Kate Brown said Thursday.
“We are very aware of the effects of climate change,” he added.
The west coast of the United States faces unusual weather, with thick smoke engulfing California, western Oregon and Washington, according to Daniel Swain, a climate researcher at the University of California.
On Wednesday morning, the city of San Francisco was engulfed by an orange fog, caused by smoke that filters the sunlight. Smoke lingered in the San Francisco area Thursday, worsening air quality, although the orange fog had begun to dissipate.
Publisher: Bogdan Păcurar
