Half a Million in Oregon Forced To Evacuate Due To Wildfires
Over half a million people in Oregon have fled due to rampant wildfires consuming the state.
Hot, wind-driven fires have been dominating the Pacific coast for weeks, but Oregon is one of the places that has been hit the hardest. Portland, OR has declared a state of emergency due to the fires spreading to the suburbs.
According to the New York Times, the state is under pressure to continue safe evacuations and trying to limit the deaths. Andrew Phelps, director of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, states that “We are preparing for a mass fatality incident based on what we know and the numbers of structures that have been lost.”
The fires have consumed millions of acres in Oregon and California, and dozens have since been reported missing. Oregon Governor Kate Brown states that “We have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across our state.” The residents of Oregon town Ecstada were told, “If you have not evacuated, you must do so now. At this point, there will be no firefighters protecting the city.”
Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. Help us stop the spread of misinformation by only sharing information from trusted, official sources. pic.twitter.com/ENc4c3kjep
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 11, 2020
Additionally, false rumors have further complicated the root cause of the wildfires. There have been rumors of the fires being started by left-wing mobs, protestors, and arsonists. However, those claims have been refuted from the multiple law agencies, such as the FBI. It is widely regarded that the cause of fire wildfires is due to natural disasters, many linking it to the early effects of climate change.
Smoke from the wildfires has turned the sky in downtown Salem orange. Photos taken at 4:10 p.m. #Salem #salemoregon #oregon #oregonwildfires #wildfires #wildfiresmoke #smoke #fire #BeachieCreekFire #clypiancoverage pic.twitter.com/NR3nPK6dhQ
— Clypian (@Clypian) September 8, 2020
The fire department across the West Coast is working hard for everyone to evacuate safely. Hopefully, the wildfire will end soon, and no more lives are lost.
