[ad_1]
Dozens of people are missing in Oregon as two large fires threaten to merge and hundreds of thousands are ordered to evacuate.
The western U.S. is recovering from a devastating wildfire season that has destroyed more than 2.6 million acres in California alone, killed at least 24 people, and given the area the worst air quality in the world. world.
Two Oregon fires were in danger of coming together Friday near the suburbs of the state’s largest city, Portland.
Hundreds of firefighters backed by water-dropping helicopters are fighting the flames in the state.
Gov. Kate Brown said dozens of people were missing in Jackson and Marion counties.
About 500,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, more than 10% of Oregon’s 4.4 million residents, and hundreds of thousands more are under yellow “Be Set” warnings.
Firefighters have been helped by the additional humidity and winds that changed direction over the past day as they tried to stop the fires that threatened more populated areas.
“Thank goodness we had a wind change. The wind started coming from the west, pushing the fire east, and that’s what kept it within its footprint and kept it from growing,” said fire spokeswoman Ashley Lertora near Lincoln City. .
However, the situation remains critical in many areas.
A police car cruised the streets of Molalla, 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Portland, with a loud speaker that said “evacuate now.”
But for some it is too late.
The small town of Phoenix, near the California border, was largely destroyed: a mobile home park, houses and businesses reduced to charred remains.
An immigrant worker at a vineyard told the Associated Press that he ran home after seeing smoke billow through the valley.
He arrived just in time to save his children from the trailer park, but the family now only has their clothes on.
Authorities Search for Missing Person in Ashland, Oregon
Four Oregon police departments also warned of fake messages online, which appear to be from law enforcement, blaming activists on the right and left for the fires.
The state of Washington, north of Oregon, is also affected.
Video from the densely populated area of Tacoma showed fires setting houses ablaze as people ran from house to house yelling for residents to evacuate.
Seattle’s famous Space Needle was nearly impossible to see from a distance due to smoke from the fires.
San Francisco has seen apocalyptic-looking skies
Seattle’s famous Space Needle was barely visible on Friday
Meanwhile, in California, where 289 fire crews still fight 28 fires, an eerie shade of red has been hanging over cities like San Francisco as light failed to penetrate smog.
Air monitoring website IQAir listed Seattle, Portland and San Francisco as having the dirtiest air in the world on Friday, worse than notoriously polluted cities like Jakarta and Delhi.
Scientists say climate change has contributed to greater extremes in the wet and dry seasons, causing vegetation to flourish and dry out, leaving plenty of volatile fuel for fires.
