Oregon city ‘looks as though a bomb went off’ as fires continue to scorch the West Coast
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Wildfires scorching the West Coast have devastated the small city of Detroit, Oregon – located about 120 miles southeast of Portland – where a majority of the structures in the rural enclave have been flattened by fire.
“We have approximately 20-25 structures still standing, and the rest are gone,” officials with the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection District said on their Facebook page.
Smoke fills the air in Detroit, Oregon, Friday, September 11, 2020.
Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald/AP
City Hall, where the fire department’s district office is based, was one of many buildings that burned down.
“Our primary focus is protecting the structures that are still standing,” the officials said on their Facebook page. “Several of our firefighters have also lost their homes. They are working through their own losses while also fighting to protect homes still intact.”
Resident Elizabeth Smith lost everything in the wildfires.
“Our homes are absolutely destroyed. I’ve seen a few videos and photos and my lovely little house that we remodeled 12 years ago in this beautiful canyon area is absolutely flattened. It looks as though a bomb went off,” Smith told CNN affiliate KATU-TV.
Detroit Mayor Jim Trett compared his city’s devastation with that of Paradise, California, which was destroyed in the Camp Fire two years ago.
“It’s the same topography: three canyons coming down like a funnel into the city of Paradise at the bottom of the funnel,” Trett told KATU. “When I heard that two years ago I said, that’s Detroit.”
A tricycle stands near the Lake Detroit Market, Friday, September 11, 2020, in Detroit, Oregon.
Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald/AP
Major fires spanning several states have burned 4.6 million acres, national fire officials say. That’s an area roughly equivalent to Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
While the 94 major blazes are burning mostly in rural and forested areas, major cities along the West Coast – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, among them – are also feeling the impact.
Smoke from the blazes is making air quality unhealthy, which can irritate lungs, cause inflammation and affect the immune system, heightening the risk of lung infections such as coronavirus. In Oakland, California, where many businesses and facilities are closed because of statewide Covid-19 precautions, officials have opened “clean air centers” for those with nowhere else to go, CNN affiliate KGO reported.
Neighborhoods in Monrovia, California, are enshrouded in smoke from the Bobcat Fire on Sunday.
David McNew/Getty Images
Of the people killed since some of the fires broke out in mid-August, 22 have been in California, many in recent days. Ten people have been killed in Oregon, and a child was killed in Washington state.
The majority of the fires are in California (25), Washington (16), Oregon (13) and Idaho (10), though blazes have also emerged in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, the National Interagency Fire Center said Sunday morning.
“More than 30,000 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents across the country,” the center said Sunday.
President Donald Trump is planning to visit McClellan Park, California, Monday for a wildfires briefing. There’s no indication whether Trump will visit any wildfire stricken areas during his trip.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the wildfires Monday from Delaware at 1 p.m. He “will discuss the threat that extreme weather events pose to Americans everywhere,” according to the Biden campaign.
‘It’s all gone’
The Holiday Farm Fire east of Eugene, Oregon, which has torched more than 160,000 acres in the Willamette National Forest – an area slightly larger than the city of Chicago – is growing rapidly. It spread 5,000 acres Friday alone, officials say.
Caught in the middle of the forest is the town of Vida, where Nailah Garner had to flee her dream home last week, she and her husband forced to scramble “like the Keystone Cops,” she told CNN affiliate KOMO.
“We didn’t know what to grab. We didn’t pack. Who knows what to do when you’re going through this?” she said.
George Coble walks through his property in Mill City, Oregon, on Saturday.
John Locher/AP
Authorities have shut down the main road into the town of 1,200 situated on the picturesque McKenzie River. Only residents who need to retrieve their pets or emergency medications are allowed past the roadblocks, the station reported.
Garner could hear the sadness in her friend’s voice when she reported that Garner’s dream home was no more, KOMO reported. Wearing donated clothes, Garner explained she had lost everything.
“It’s all gone, and it looks like a war zone hit it,” she said.
In Clackamas County, Oregon, residents are being asked to reconsider their travel plans and restrict their water usage as fires continue to burn in the area.
“Please limit your water use. Every drop is needed for our firefighters in order to use the water to save someone’s home,” said Nancy Bush, director of disaster management in Clackamas.
Three California fires reach historic proportions
In California, firefighters are battling more than two dozen major fires, but officials expressed hope that improving weather conditions will boost efforts to control the flames.
Three of the five largest wildfires in state history are burning now, officials say. One of those blazes, the LNU Complex Fire, which was about 96% contained as of Saturday, has burned more than 363,000 acres.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
Firefighters look out over a burning hillside as they fight the Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, California, on Monday, October 26.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
David McNew/Getty Images
A man evacuates his home as flames from the Blue Ridge Fire approach in Chino Hills, California, on Tuesday, October 27.
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Myung J Chun/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
Firefighters conduct a backfire operation in Chino Hills on October 27.
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Mike Blake/Reuters
A firefighter uses a hose as the Silverado Fire approaches near Irvine, California.
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Jae C. Hong/AP
Firefighter Raymond Vasquez battles the Silverado Fire in Irvine on Monday, October 26.
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David Zalubowski/AP
Flames rise from mountain ridges near a farmstead as a wildfire burns near Granby, Colorado, on Thursday, October 22.
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Bethany Baker/USA Today Network/Reuters
Evacuees drive through a traffic jam exiting Big Thompson Canyon as the East Troublesome Fire forced residents out of Estes Park, Colorado, on October 22.
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Matthew Jonas/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera/Getty Images
Structures burned by the Cal-Wood Fire are seen in Boulder County, Colorado, on October 18.
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Bethany Baker/The Coloradoan/USA Today Network
Flames from the Cameron Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in Colorado history, work their way along a ridge outside Estes Park on October 16.
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Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
An airplane drops fire retardant on the Bruder Fire in Redlands, California, on October 15.
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Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
Dr. Alex Herman, right, and veterinary technician Linden West examine Captain Cal, a 6-week-old mountain lion cub recovering from severe burn injuries at the Oakland Zoo Hospital in Oakland, California. The zoo later took in two more cubs rescued from the same fire.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Burned bottles of wine sit in a pile at the Castello di Amorosa winery, which was destroyed by the Glass Fire in Calistoga, California, on October 1. Wildfires have damaged and destroyed dozens of the region's famed wineries, many of them family-owned businesses.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Noah Berger/AP
A firefighter walks along a path as the Glass Fire burns in Calistoga, California, on October 1.
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Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images
Vehicles burned in the Glass Fire sit outside of a home that survived in Calistoga on September 30.
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Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images
The remains of guest houses smolder at Calistoga Ranch after the Glass Fire passed through on September 30.
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Paul Kuroda/Sipa USA
Firefighter Abraham Garcia signals a water truck in Angwin, California, on September 29.
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Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
Firefighters watch the Glass Fire slowly creep across a clearing near Calistoga on September 29.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Damaged wine barrels sit stacked at the Fairwinds Estate Winery in Calistoga on September 29.
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Adrees Latif/Reuters
The Glass Fire burns in the background as Josh Asbury, an employee of CableCom, installs fiber-optic cable in Calistoga on September 28.
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Noah Berger/AP
Residents of the Oakmont Gardens senior home are transported to safety as the Shady Fire approaches in Santa Rosa on September 28.
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Noah Berger/AP
Cellar worker Jose Juan Perez extinguishes hotspots at Castello di Amorosa, a Calistoga winery that was damaged in the Glass Fire.
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Samuel Corum/AFP/Getty Images
An officer with Napa County Animal Control rescues a cat after the Glass Fire passed through Napa Valley, California, on September 28.
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Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
The Glass Fire burns on a Napa County mountainside on September 28.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames from the Glass Fire consume the Black Rock Inn in St. Helena, California, on September 27.
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Noah Berger/AP
Embers fly from a tree as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena on September 27.
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Noah Berger/AP
An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Glass Fire, which was burning near the Davis Estates winery in Calistoga on September 27.
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Noah Berger/AP
Cal Fire Capt. Jesse Campbell works to save the Louis Stralla Water Treatment Plant as the Glass Fire burns in St. Helena.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
A photograph of Charles Morton, a firefighter killed battling the El Dorado Fire, is displayed at a memorial service in San Bernardino, California, on September 25. Morton, 39, was a 14-year veteran of the US Forest Service and a squad boss with the Big Bear Hotshot Crew of the San Bernardino National Forest.
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Go Nakamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images
An inmate firefighter takes a break while working to contain the Bear Fire in Oroville, California, on September 24.
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Go Nakamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Inmate firefighters extinguish hot spots while working to contain the Bear Fire on September 24.
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Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
The Bobcat Fire burns near Cedar Springs, California, on September 21.
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Jerod Delay/AP
Wildfire smoke rises in Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming on September 21.
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Kyle Grillot/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A deer looks for food in an area burned by the Bobcat Fire in Pearblossom, California.
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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
A woman takes photos as the Bobcat Fire burns in Juniper Hills, California, on September 18.
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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
Wind whips embers from Joshua trees burned by the Bobcat Fire in Juniper Hills on September 18.
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Adrees Latif/Reuters
Firefighter Kirk McDusky walks past smoke rising from the Brattain Fire in Paisley, Oregon, on September 18.
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Kyle Grillot/AFP/Getty Images
A Juniper Hills home burns during the Bobcat Fire on September 18.
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Ringo Chiu/Reuters
A firefighter battles the Bobcat Fire while defending the Mount Wilson observatory in Los Angeles on September 17.
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Paula Bronstein/AFP/Getty Images
Stacey Kahny fixes her hair inside her tent at the evacuation center at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point, Oregon, on September 16. Kahny lived with her parents at a trailer park in Phoenix, Oregon, that was destroyed by fire.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Paula Bronstein/AFP/Getty Images
A charred yearbook lies in the debris as Fred Skaff and his son Thomas clean up their home in Phoenix, Oregon, on September 16.
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Noah Berger/AP
In this aerial photo taken with a drone, red fire retardant sits on leveled homes in Talent, Oregon, on September 15.
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Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter works at the scene of the Bobcat Fire burning on hillsides near Monrovia, California, on September 15.
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Andrew Harnik/AP
President Donald Trump listens as California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about the wildfires during a briefing on September 14.
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John Locher/AP
George Coble walks through his destroyed property in Mill City, Oregon, on September 12.
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Etienne Laurent/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Bobcat Fire burns in Angeles National Forest, north of Monrovia, California, on September 11.
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Adrees Latif/Reuters
Crystal Sparks kisses her 4-year-old twins, Chance and Ryder Sutton, as they escape the Obenchain Fire in Butte Falls, Oregon, on September 11.
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Peter DaSilva/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
North Valley Disaster Group member Kari Zeitler and Butte County Animal Control officer Linda Newman bridle up two donkeys wandering along a roadside in Berry Creek, California, on September 11. The donkeys were displaced by the Bear Fire.
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Nic Coury/AP
A firefighter shoots an incendiary device during a back burn to help control the Dolan Fire in Big Sur, California, on September 11.
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Paula Bronstein/AP
Dora Negrete is consoled by her son Hector Rocha after seeing their destroyed mobile home in Talent, Oregon, on September 10.
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David Ryder/Getty Images
This aerial photo shows a destroyed mobile-home park in Phoenix, Oregon, on September 10.
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Christian Gallagher/AP
A street is shrouded by smoke from wildfires in West Linn, Oregon, on September 10.
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David McNew/Getty Images
A tanker jet drops fire retardant to slow the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Monrovia, California, on September 10.
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Eric Risberg/AP
Looking up San Francisco's Columbus Avenue, the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower are covered with smoke from nearby wildfires on September 9. This photo was taken in the late morning.
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Stephen Lam/Reuters
Visitors of San Francisco's Dolores Park are seen under an orange sky darkened by smoke on September 9.
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Michael Short/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Wildfire smoke hangs over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on September 9.
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Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images
Bejhan Razi, a senior building inspector in Mill Valley, California, checks out repairs on a lamp-post clock as the sky is illuminated by nearby wildfires.
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David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
People stand in Alamo Square Park as smoke hangs over San Francisco on September 9.
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Eric Risberg/AP
People stop to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge as it is affected from smoke by nearby wildfires on September 9.
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Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Firefighters cut defensive lines and light backfires to protect structures in Butte County, California, on September 9.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames shoot from a home in Butte County.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A Pacific Gas and Electric worker looks up at the advancing Creek Fire near Alder Springs, California, on September 8.
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Peter DaSilva/UPI/Alamy Live News
Lisa Theis unloads the last of her 44 alpacas after she evacuated her ranch in North Fork, California.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames burn at a home leveled by the Creek Fire in Fresno County, California.
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Noah Berger/AP
A slide is melted at a school playground in Fresno County.
Firefighter Nick Grinstead battles the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake, California, on September 7.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter in Jamul, California, battles the Valley Fire on September 6.
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Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images
A fire encroaches Japatul Road in Jamul on September 6.
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Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images
Little League baseball players warm up for a game near Dehesa, California, as the Valley Fire burns on September 6.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A firefighter watches the advancing Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A business owner in Shaver Lake walks next to kayaks he rents as smoke from the Creek Fire fills the sky on September 6.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Terry Pierson/Orange County Register/Zuma
Family members comfort each other as the El Dorado Fire moves closer to their home in Yucaipa, California, on September 6.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A firefighter sets a controlled burn with a drip torch while fighting the Creek Fire in Shaver Lake.
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California National Guard/AP
Dozens of evacuees are airlifted to safety on a California National Guard helicopter on September 5. The Creek Fire had left them stranded in a popular camping area in the Sierra National Forest.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
Firefighters walk in a line in Yucaipa on September 5.
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Amanda Ray/Yakima Herald-Republic/AP
Haze and smoke blanket the sky near Naches, Washington, as the Evans Canyon Fire burns on September 3.
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LiPo Ching/San Francisco Chronicle/AP
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, listens as Santa Cruz State Park Superintendent Chris Spohrer talks about the fire damage to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
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Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times/Getty Images
Randy Hunt packs up his belongings, including his daughter Natasha's first Pooh bear, left, in case he and his wife Sheli had to evacuate the home they rent in Middletown, California, on August 26.
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Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images
Firefighter Juan Chavarin pulls down a burning tree trunk in Guerneville, California, on August 25.
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Noah Berger/AP
A sign reading "Vaca Strong" adorns a charred hillside in Vacaville, California, on August 24.
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Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Austin Giannuzzi cries while embracing relatives at the burned remains of their Vacaville home on August 23.
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Noah Berger/AP
A firefighter looks out from a helicopter while battling the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Lake County, California.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires leap above Butts Canyon Road in Lake County on August 23.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Karol Markowski of the South Pasadena Fire Department hoses down hot spots while battling the CZU Lightning Complex fires in Boulder Creek, California, on August 22.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A burned-out vehicle is left in front of a destroyed residence as smoke fills the sky in Boulder Creek on August 22.
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Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Smoke hangs low in the air at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park as some redwoods burn in Boulder Creek on August 22.
Photos: Wildfires burning in the West
Noah Berger/AP
A firefighter watches the LNU Lightning Complex fires spread through the Berryessa Estates neighborhood in Napa County on August 21.
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Noah Berger/AP
Veterinary technician Brianna Jeter comforts a llama injured by a fire in Vacaville on August 21. At right, animal control officer Dae Kim prepares to euthanize the llama.
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Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images
Smoke from nearby wildfires hangs over San Francisco on August 21.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A firefighter monitors the advance of a fire in Boulder Creek on August 21.
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Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily via AP
Members of the US Forest Service discuss their next moves to battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Dotsero, Colorado, on August 21.
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Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
People pack brown-bag lunches at an evacuation center in Santa Cruz, California, on August 21.
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Noah Berger/AP
A smoke plume from the LNU Lightning Complex fires billows over Healdsburg, California, on August 20.
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Philip Pacheco/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A firefighter battles flames in Santa Cruz County, California, on August 20.
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Noah Berger/AP
Only scorched homes and vehicles remain in the Spanish Flat Mobile Villa in Napa County, California, on August 20.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Peter Koleckar reacts after seeing multiple homes burned in his neighborhood in Bonny Doon, California, on August 20.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A forest burns in Bonny Doon on August 20.
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Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP
A man looks at a tree blocking his way after a fire ravaged Vacaville, California, on August 20.
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Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP
A melted plastic fence lies on the charred ground after fire swept through Vacaville on August 20.
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Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP
Sarah Hawkins searches through rubble after her Vacaville home was destroyed on August 20.
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Nic Coury/AP
Fire crews maintain a backburn to control the River Fire near the Las Palmas neighborhood in Salinas, California, on August 19.
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Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Gina Santos cries in her car after evacuating Vacaville on August 19.
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Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
People herd cows down Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville on August 19.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames consume a home in Napa County, California, on August 19.
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Noah Berger/AP
Embers burn along a hillside above Lake Berryessa as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through Napa County on August 18. This image was taken with a long exposure.
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Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
A resident runs into a home to save a dog while flames from the Hennessy Fire close in near Lake Berryessa on August 18.
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Noah Berger/AP
A home burns as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in Napa County on August 18.
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Noah Berger/AP
An air tanker drops retardant on fires in the Spanish Flat community of Napa County on August 18.
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Noah Berger/AP
Flames from the Hennessy Fire consume a cabin at the Nichelini Family Winery in Napa County on August 18.
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Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP
Tony Leonardini works on a spot fire as thunderstorm winds fan the Hennessy Fire in Napa County on August 17.
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Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily via AP
Smoke from the Grizzly Creek Fire is thick in Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on August 16.
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Dean Guernsey/The Bulletin via AP
Kathy Mathison looks at the still-smoldering wildfire on August 16 that, just a day before, came within several feet of her home in Bend, Oregon.
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Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images
Firefighters look at smoke and flames rising from the Ranch2 Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, east of Los Angeles, on August 14.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A helicopter makes a water drop over the Ranch2 Fire in Azusa, California, on August 13.
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Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images
A car is charred by the Lake Fire near Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, on August 13.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
A couple watches the Ranch2 Fire from a distance on August 13.
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Christian Monterrosa/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A firefighter crew works in Lake Hughes on August 13.
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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
The Lake Fire burns a home in Angeles National Forest on August 13.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
Flames and smoke from the Lake Fire rise on Wednesday, August 12.
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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
A firefighter works against the Lake Fire on August 12.
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Christian Monterrosa/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Firefighters make an escape plan as the Lake Fire burns a hillside on August 12.
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David Crane/The Orange County Register/AP
A tanker makes a drop on the Lake Fire on August 12.
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Mario Tama/Getty Images
A plume of smoke rises from the Lake Fire on August 12.
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Chelsea Self/Glenwood Springs Post Independent via AP
Fire crews battle the Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on August 11.
The fire is burning in Northern California wine country, and vintners worry the smoke will taint the grapes, reducing this year’s yield. Oscar Renteria manages thousands of acres of vineyards, including his own patch on the edge of the LNU Complex Fire, about half of which is ruined, he told CNN affiliate KPIX.
“That’s what I can predict right now,” he told the station. “I’ve got two more weeks to go to test, and I’m not sure that I’m even going to pick some of mine. I may just take my losses and go home.”
Little rain, high temperatures and strong winds helped fuel the flames, and it’s unclear how long it will take to get them under control.
Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia’s department is fighting fires with 500 personnel, when it usually has 1,000 to 1,500, he said Saturday. Some firefighters are working more than 24 hours in a shift, he said. The Bobcat Fire northeast of Los Angeles is tearing through the mountainous national forest.
Smoke from wildfires fills the sky over Pasadena, California, on Saturday.
John Antczak/AP
More than 4,100 structures have been destroyed since August 15, Cal Fire said Sunday, adding that 16,750 firefighters are battling fires statewide. As the massive fires rage, more are popping up.
“Firefighters across the state responded to 36 new wildfires yesterday, and all were contained quickly,” the agency said.
Fires in the state have burned more than 3.3 million acres this year, with the August Complex Fire burning in the Mendocino National Forest accounting for more than a quarter of the sum. The blaze, the largest in state history, is only 28% contained, according to Cal Fire.
In the Sierra Nevada range north of Sacramento, the North Complex Fire has consumed more than 258,000 acres, killing at least 12 people, the US Forest Service said Saturday. The victims include a 16-year-old boy who was fleeing the area in his vehicle, Butte County authorities said.
The Bear Fire ripped through Berry Creek, destroying Brad and Kelly Thomas' home and property.
“I cried. I cried for long time,” owner Mitch Dorghalli told the station. “The worst day in my life when I heard that news.”
Gusty winds and low humidity in Northern California on Sunday may exacerbate already dangerous conditions, Cal Fire said.
‘We saw the perfect storm’
At least eight of Oregon’s wildfires are expected to burn “until the winter’s rains fall,” said state Department of Forestry Fire Chief Doug Grafe.
Four of the 10 people killed in Oregon’s wildfires died in the Beachie Creek Fire in Marion County, where Detroit is located.
James Smith hugs his dog, Rose, after returning to his evacuated home in Estacada, Oregon, on Saturday.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Two victims identified by the Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office were Wyatt Tofte, 13, and Peggy Mosso, 71, both of Lyons, about 60 miles southeast of Portland.
Wyatt was found in a car with his dog in his lap while Mosso, his grandmother, was found in another car nearby. Her daughter and Wyatt’s mother, Angela, attempted to save her and was badly burned. Two other victims were located but have not been recovered because of treacherous conditions.
Dozens of people are missing, mostly across Jackson, Lane and Marion counties in western Oregon, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said.
Family member describes how boy tried to save grandma from fire
“We saw the perfect fire storm. We saw incredible winds. We saw very cold, hot temperatures and, of course, we have a landscape that has seen 30 years of drought,” Brown said.
The state is preparing for a “mass fatality incident” based on how many structures are charred, Oregon Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps said Friday.
About 500,000 people in the state are under some type of evacuation alert. Evacuation orders have been issued for more than 40,000, Brown said.
80% of buildings in Washington town destroyed
The past five days in Washington have made for the state’s second worst fire season in history, Gov. Jay Inslee said. As of Saturday, 15 major fires were burning.
A 1-year-old boy died and his parents were badly burned as they tried to escape a wildfire, officials said.
The family was visiting their property west of Spokane and evacuated when the wildfire encroached. They abandoned their vehicle and fled to a river, CNN affiliate KCRA reported. The couple was rescued, but their son did not make it.
Smoke obscures the Space Needle as people take photos in Seattle's Kerry Park on Saturday.
Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images
Another child was killed in the Cold Springs Fire in Omak, near the Canadian border, officials said.
Earlier this week, Inslee visited Malden in eastern Washington, where 80% of the city’s buildings – including the fire station, post office, city hall and library – were destroyed.
“It looked like a bomb went off,” city officials said, according to CNN affiliate KIRO.
In Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo said Sunday it is temporarily closing its doors because of the air quality, though a team will remain at the facility to monitor the animals for “respiratory compromise,” it said.
CNN’s Kevin Bohn, Jason Hoffman, Deanna Hackney Jason Hanna, Hollie Silverman, Christina Maxouris, Chuck Johnston, Amanda Jackson and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.