US homes destroyed as firefighters battle wildfires under orange skies

Josh Edelson (Agence France-Presse) - September 10, 2020 - 7:52am OROVILLE, United States -- Hundreds of homes were destroyed by wildfires and officials warned of potential mass deaths Wednesday as apocalyptic orange skies caused by dense smoke coated vast swathes of the western United States. At least five towns were "substantially destroyed" in Oregon as widespread evacuations took place across the northwestern state, governor Kate Brown said, citing early reports. Related Stories Helicopters rescue over 200 trapped in California wildfire "I want to be upfront in saying that we expect to see a great deal of loss, both in structures and in human lives," she told a press conference. "This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state's history." Along with neighboring California and Washington, Oregon has been scrambling to contain rapidly spreading wildfires since the weekend due to unprecedented heatwaves followed by intense, dry winds. Jody Evans, a resident of Detroit -- one of the five towns razed in Oregon -- fled her home as the fire approached. "Coming through fire on both sides, trees down, wind blowing, ash flying," Evans told Newschannel 21. "It was like driving through hell." Officials said no deaths had been confirmed but would likely be reported in the next two days. "Quite frankly, we are not able to even get into some of these areas," said Mariana Ruiz-Temple, chief deputy state fire marshal. In California, where at least eight deaths have been reported, people in the San Francisco Bay Area awoke to a deep orange sky caused by wildfire smoke that at times blocked out sunlight entirely. Photos of the eerie scene, particularly of a San Francisco skyline fit for a dystopian science fiction film, spread quickly on social media. "We know the smoke, darkness, and orange glow is scary. Stay calm and try to stay indoors; it's going to get better," tweeted the local fire department. Cars crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge were forced to switch their lights throughout the day. Around 150 miles to the north, the Bear Fire exploded at an unprecedented speed overnight, combining with older blazes to scorch over 250,000 acres and threaten the city of Oroville. Evacuation orders were expanded to parts of the town of Paradise, site of California's deadliest modern fire which killed 86 people less than two years ago. The nearby August Complex Fire also spread rapidly to become the state's second-largest blaze in history, at 420,000 acres. 'Devastation' Hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed across the western US states, with tens of thousands of residents forced to evacuate. Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, described the wildfires as "unprecedented and heartbreaking." Inslee, who campaigned for the Democratic nomination for president on a platform of battling climate change, and California Governor Gavin Newsom both blamed the effects of a changing climate for the exceptional ferocity of this year's blazes. "I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers," Newsom said. "It's completely inconsistent, that point of view, with the reality on the ground." As for Inslee, he said that "we're living in a new world -- this is not the old Washington. "The conditions are so dry and are so hot because the climate has changed," the governor said. "The devastation is all over our state." Inslee said 330,000 acres (133,500 hectares) of land had burned in Washington on Monday alone, more in a single day than in 12 of the last 18 fire seasons. 'Last resort' In California, the process began of restoring power to more than 170,000 people left without electricity a day earlier after utility company PG&E enacted a "last resort" shutoff. More than 14,000 firefighters are fighting 28 major wildfires across the country's most populous state. Wildfires spread rapidly over the Labor Day holiday weekend, which saw a record 121-degree Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) temperature recorded in Los Angeles County. But there was some relief in southern Californian regions, including Los Angeles itself, where Santa Ana winds proved less severe than feared. California has seen more than 7,600 fires this year which have burned more than 2.5 million acres -- an annual record, with nearly four months of fire season still to come. Last year, there were nearly 5,000 fires which burned 117,586 acres, according to Cal Fire. — with Andrew MARSZAL in Los Angeles