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MOLALLA, Oregon: With resources stretched to the limit, weary crews on Thursday (Sept. 17) fought the deadly wildfires raging across the western United States from the air and on the ground, and a U.S. senator said parts Oregon now resemble the aftermath of World War II Incendiary Bombings.
Dozens of fires have burned about 3.2 million acres (1.3 million hectares) in California since mid-August and another 1.6 million acres (647,500 hectares) in Oregon and Washington since the Day of the I work on September 7, devastating several small towns and destroying thousands of people. of homes and claiming at least 34 lives.
The Oregon Department of Forestry said 6,500 firefighters from the state and elsewhere in the United States and Canada were working to stop the fires, along with other community members and emergency personnel from government agencies. Twenty-six fires were still active in Oregon on Thursday, according to the state Office of Emergency Management.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said more than 17,400 firefighters were deployed against 26 fires in America’s most populous state.
US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon described driving 600 miles (965 km) in his state to see the devastation first-hand, visiting refugee centers, fire control centers and cities burned by flames.
“Those 600 miles, I never got out of the smoke. I remember fires in the past where I was driving and I was in the smoke for 20 or 30 minutes – that’s a big fire. This is apocalyptic,” Merkley told CNN. “See … these towns burned to the ground, it looks like a WWII town hit by fire bombs: thousands of homes destroyed, residences destroyed.”
Merkley said a large number of affordable housing was lost, including apartment buildings and mobile home parks, while some business districts were burned to the ground.
“It is overwhelming,” added the Democratic senator.
Wildfires off the west coast filled the skies of the region with smoke and soot, but some areas Thursday were the lightest in days.
READ: Fires continue in the US as smoke reaches Europe
Kyle Sullivan, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Land Management in Medford, Ore., Said a smoke cleanup has allowed for more airborne firefighting operations to be conducted with helicopters and planes dropping retarders.
“We haven’t seen any significant fire growth (this week). It hasn’t been very windy or very hot,” Sullivan said.
Eight deaths have been confirmed in Oregon. A fire-related death has been confirmed in Washington state. The death toll in California stood at 25.
‘DREAMING OF FIRE’
Drew Hansen, a 31-year-old logger raised on a tree farm near Molalla, Oregon, about an hour south of Portland, was part of a volunteer firefighting force fighting the Riverside and Beachie Creek fires since September 8.
“This is my backyard, we are fighting for our homes and families here,” Hansen said as he and a team rested in front of his parents’ country house, about five miles (8 km) southeast of Molalla. “It feels like we haven’t slept in a week. Even when I’ve slept, I’m dreaming of fire.”
Trees are damaged by fire in the aftermath of the Clackamas County fires, near Molalla, Oregon, on Sept. 16, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Shannon Stapleton)
Just down the mountain road from Hansen, the toll from the fire was clear. One side of the road was lush and green. The other side looked like a moonscape of black and white ash, with giant tree stumps still smoking.
Along the mountainous roads in and around Molalla, peasant families put up handmade signs thanking those who risked their lives to fight the flames.
“This small town was surrounded by fire not long ago, and it was civilians who stepped in when we needed help the most,” said Ashley Bentley, a local grocery store owner whose husband was among those in the woods fighting fires. “We had to act or the fire would take away our people.”
With the possibility of a little rain starting Friday in affected areas of Oregon, weather conditions can help in the fight.
“We are anticipating a small amount of moisture this weekend, but it will not be enough to end the fire season. It will help with fire suppression efforts, but we are still anxious about the possibility of new beginnings,” Sullivan said of the Land Administration Office.
With improved weather finally allowing firefighters to go on the offensive, crews have worked to fight Oregon’s largest fire this season – the 190,000-acre (76,900-hectare) Beachie Creek fire. It was 20% contained as of Thursday afternoon.
Cooler weather and increased humidity on Thursday were expected to aid firefighting efforts in California, but authorities said warmer and drier weather over the weekend would bring more fire danger. Some 5,400 structures have been destroyed since mid-August in California.
