Western US states look like a war zone

CALIFORNIA.- Deadly wildfires rage in Western US states: At least 23 dead, hundreds of thousands evacuated.

OREGON.- Once a peaceful and safe state, Oregon, and specifically the capital Portland has become a place of confrontation between police corporations and civilians.

WASHINGTON STATE.- ‘Massive’ cloud of wildfire smoke headed to Seattle overnight. Air quality in the Seattle area is currently considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and is expected to worsen into the weekend.

At least 23 people have died and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by more than 100 major fires that have consumed nearly 7,000 square miles. Authorities in Oregon say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires – over 10% of the state’s 4.2 million population.

“Unprecedented weather conditions have created emergency situations near wildfires throughout California, Oregon, Washington, and other states,” the National Fire Information Center warned. “Almost half of the large fires reported today to have evacuation orders in place.”

Nineteen deaths have been reported in California, three in Oregon and one in Washington state. In Northern California’s Butte County, Sheriff Kory Honea said at least 10 people have died, including seven more added to the death toll Thursday.

Dozens are missing and hundreds of homes were feared destroyed by a series of blazes 125 miles northeast of San Francisco called the North Complex fires.

Several people have been critically burned and thousands of homes were threatened by the fires. 

And even though most Oregonians think Portland protests are violent and counterproductive, according to a survey by Portland-based polling firm DHM Research. In fact, 61% of voters in the Portland metro area disapprove of the protests.

The results show deep divisions between people of different races and ages—young people and African Americans support the protests in far greater numbers and are more likely to see them as helping Black people. But the qualms about protests are hardly limited to conservatives.

Most African Americans polled say the protests are not improving race relations in the region.

People from San Francisco to Seattle woke up on Wednesday, September 8th, to hazy clouds of smoke lingering in the air, darkening the sky to an eerie orange glow that kept street lights illuminated into midday, all thanks to dozens of wildfires throughout the West.

“It’s after 9 a.m. and there’s still no sign of the sun,” the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate division tweeted, urging drivers to turn on their headlights and slow down.