After calming down a bit, the wind threatens a resurgence in parts of Oregon.
Firefighters battling devastating flames in Reg Reagan are expected to face wind-blown hurricanes in parts of the state on Sunday as rescue workers continue to search for dozens of missing people until the flames threaten.
The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” for Sunday due to strong winds and the possibility of dry weather in nearby counties in southern Oregon and California. Gusts of up to 40 miles per hour could be seen in some areas, and forecasters said winds would “contribute to a significant spread of new and existing fires.”
“We can look forward to a challenging Sunday,” Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said.
The devastating fire in Reg Reagan has already consumed more than a million acres and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Burning 1.1 million acres in California and burning more than 600,000 acres in the state of Washington, the West Coast has been ravaged by thick smoke for days, leaving cities devastated and poor air quality on Earth. .
Winds blowing inland from the Pacific Ocean, and cooling conditions on Saturday helped the crew make some progress on the fire, which Oregon Governor Kate Brown called a “one-time pay-as-you-go incident.”
Sunday’s warnings include Jackson County, where Almeida entered the Talent and Phoenix communities, seized hundreds of homes and killed at least five people, bringing the death toll to at least 20 on the West Coast. Jackson County officials said their list of missing people was over 50, although some have been found safe.
By Saturday night the fire in Almeida was only about 50 percent. And just to the north, the Big South Obenchen fire contains only 20 percent.
Forecasters warned that dangerous weather conditions could last until Monday, encouraging people to limit outdoor time. Officials hope the change in weather on Monday could help with both smoke and flames.
On Saturday, reg Reagan State Police announced that the state’s fire marshal, James Waker, had resigned after being put on administrative leave early in the day.
The statement did not say why Mr Walker resigned. He was replaced by his chief deputy, Marina Ruiz-Temple.
President Trump is scheduled to visit McLean Park, California on Monday to be briefed on wildfires.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday on the CNN program “State of the Union” that he was glad the president would see what was happening in California. But Mr. Garcetti used his appearance to criticize Mr. Trump’s efforts to loosen climate control regulations, saying the administration has its “head in the sand” on environmental issues.
“This is a reversal of the weather,” Mr Garcetti said, adding that the President blamed the devastating wildfires on the West Coast for poor forest management.
“It’s not just about forest management or racking,” Mr. Garcetti said, “anyone living here in California is clearly insulted and he continues this lie. “
At least 20 people have been killed in recent blazes off the west coast.
They lived more than 10000 miles apart – one in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, northeast of Sacramento, the capital of California, the other in the wild valley east of Salem, the capital of Reg Reagan.
Josiah Williams, 16.
Wyatt Toffe, 13.
They were short-lived young victims of the Great Western Wildfire of 2020.
The arrival of the fire season in the American West always brings the fear of casualties, especially the elderly and the disabled, who cannot escape the flames.
But, the deaths, speed and ferocity of the fire speak to the deaths of two athletic teenagers, Josiah and Wyatt, that this year in California and Reg Reagan have burned a combined four acres, the number of acres.
As thick shington, reg Reagan and large parts of California have been gutted by smoking and thousands of people have been displaced, the fire has been the worst in decades due to climate change. As of Saturday, the fire in California had consumed 26 times more area than at the same time last year.
In the West this weekend, law enforcement authorities were stepping up cremated communities for missing persons. The blaze has killed at least 20 people, left dozens more missing and triggered a peak fire season in many parts of the west.
Although the fires in recent years have proved more deadly – a hurricane that destroyed the city of Paradise in California in 2018 and killed more than 80 people in a single night – each death obscures the trauma of reaching small communities where wildfires cause such incidents. Have become. Terror.
Jennifer Willin took her home from the only school in Little Barry Creek, California last week where Ash fell from a revelation orange sky, where she paired a Wi-Fi hotspot for her daughters’ remote classes. Hours later, his cellphone exploded with an emergency warning: evacuate immediately.
The next morning, about 1,200 people were swept away in Northern California, killing nine residents and destroying a school and almost every home and business, according to an official described as a “huge wall of fire.”
Mrs. Willin and her family fled to a shaky hotel room 60 miles away. In her panic, she forgot to grab the mask, but she also had hot spots with her daughter’s laptop and school books. On Monday, the two young women plan to meet with their teachers at Zoom to get some rest amidst the chaos.
Between the two tragedies, schools built for the coronavirus crisis are providing a fantastic form of stability for teachers and students, preparing for distance learning, which keeps many people connected and relaxes in the unexpected form of a virtual community.
“They are still able to stay in school,” Ms. “Even though the school burned to the ground,” Willin said.
Wildfire smoke, which may contain toxins from burned buildings, has been linked to serious health problems.
Studies have shown that while smoke waves increase the rate of hospital visits and many additional patients experience respiratory problems, heart attacks and strokes.
The health effects of wildfire smoke do not go away when the sky is clear. A recent study on Montana residents has suggested a long tail for wildfire smoke.
Research by Arit Landguth, an associate professor at the School of Public and Community Health Sciences at the University of Montana and lead author of the study, shows that “after asons of bad fires, a person will expect three to five times worse flu. Months later.
If you cannot leave a smoking area, the CDC recommends limiting exposure by keeping windows and doors closed while indoors and running air conditioners in recuperation mode so that outside air is not drawn into your home.
Portable air purifiers are also recommended, however, like air conditioners, they require electricity. If utilities cut off power, as has happened in California, those options are limited.
If you have energy, avoid frying foods that increase indoor smoke.
Experts say it is especially important to avoid cigarettes. It is also recommended to avoid strenuous outdoor activities when the weather is bad. When out, a well-equipped N95 mask is also recommended, even though it is in short supply due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Sarah Henders, a senior environmental health scientist at the British Columbia Center for Disease Control, said some other masks, especially tightly woven ones made from different layers of fabric, could provide “very good filtration”. .
Contributed by the report Mike Baker, Nicholas Bogel-Burrows, Thomas Fuller, Dan Levine And Kate Taylor.
