A distraught Oregon family returns to the rubble where their home once stood. Video / AP
Nearly all of the dozens of people reported missing after a devastating blaze in southern Oregon have been accounted for, authorities said, as crews continued to battle wildfires that have killed at least 33 from California to Washington state.
The flames have destroyed neighbourhoods, leaving a barren, gray landscape intheir wake, driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and cast a shroud of smoke over the region.
The crisis has come amid the coronavirus outbreak, the economic downturn and nationwide racial unrest that has led to protests in Portland for more than 100 days.
"What's next?" asked Danielle Oliver, who had to flee her home outside Portland. "You have the protests, coronavirus pandemic, now the wildfires. What else can go wrong?"
A fire engine from the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District sits on Detroit Avenue Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Detroit, Ore. Photo / AP
Late Saturday, the Jackson County Sheriff's office said that four people had died in the wildfire that burned in the Ashland area. Authorities earlier this week said as many as 50 people could be missing from the blaze. But they said the number of people unaccounted for is now down to one.
At least 10 people have been killed in the past week throughout Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing from other blazes, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise. Twenty-two people have died in California, and one person has been killed in Washington state.
George Coble carries a bucket of water to put out a tree still smoldering on his property destroyed by a wildfire Saturday. Photo / AP
Among the people killed was Millicent Catarancuic, who was found near her car at her 2ha home in Berry Creek, California. At one point she was ready to evacuate with her dogs and cats in the car. But she changed her mind as the winds seemed to calm and the flames stayed away.
Then the fire changed direction, rushing onto the property too quickly for her to leave. She died, along with her animals.
"I feel like, maybe when they passed, they had an army of cats and dogs with her to help her through it," said her daughter, Holly Catarancuic.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown toured the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, Ore., Saturday afternoon, Sept. 12, 2020, where she spoke with volunteers and evacuees. Photo / AP
George Coble lost everything just outside Mill City, Oregon — his fence-building business, five houses where his family lived and a collection of vintage cars, including a 1967 Mustang.
"We'll just keep working and keep your head up and thank God everybody got out," Coble said.
In a town nearby, Erik Tucker spent the day coated in ash and smudged with charcoal, hauling buckets of water through what remained of his neighbourhood to douse hot spots.
"No power, debris everywhere, smoke, can't breathe," he said, the air thick with ash.
Fire-charred landscapes looked like bombed-out cities in Europe after World War II, with buildings reduced to charred rubble piled atop blackened earth. People caught in the wildfires died in an instant, overcome by flames or smoke as they desperately tried to escape.
An injured cat named Prince is being treated for third degree burns on his paws, stomach and face by technician assistant. Photo / AP
The Democratic governors of all three states have said the fires are a consequence of global warming.
"We absolutely must act now to avoid a future defined by an unending barrage of tragedies like the one American families are enduring across the West today," said Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The dry, windy conditions that fed the flames in Oregon were probably a once-in-a-generation event, said Greg Jones, a professor and research climatologist at Linfield University in McMinnville. The warmer world can increase the likelihood of extreme events and contribute to their severity, he said.
A person rides a bike along the Willamette River as smoke from wildfires partially obscures the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. Photo / AP
There was some good news Saturday: The same smoke that painted California skies orange also helped crews corral the state's deadliest blaze this year by blocking the sun, reducing temperatures and raising humidity.
Smoke created cooler conditions in Oregon as well. But it was also blamed for creating the dirtiest air in at least 35 years in some places, "literally off the charts", the state's environmental quality spokesperson, Laura Gleim, said.
Smoke from wildfires fills the sky over Pasadena, Calif., in this view looking east down Colorado Boulevard. Photo / AP
In Portland, smoke filled the air with an acrid metallic scent like pennies. It was so thick that Ashley Kreitzer could not see the road when she headed to work as a driver for a ride-hailing service.
"I couldn't even see 5 feet ahead of me," she said. "I was panicking, I didn't even know if I wanted to go out."
People stuffed towels under door jambs to keep smoke out or wore N95 masks in their own homes.
Lexi Sovllios from Talent, Ore., holds her dogs as she looks at the ruins of her burned house in Talent. Photo / AP
Meanwhile, there was political turmoil as Oregon's fire marshal was forced out while a half-million state residents were ordered to evacuate or warned to be ready to leave.
Details were scarce on why he was put on leave, then resigned.
