The major wildfires that have raged in the western United States since August have now destroyed about 1.8 million acres of land. At least 34 people were killed in the wildfires, dozens of people are still missing.
The conflagrations have ignited nearly 1.2 million acres of California land: never before have wildfires devastated so much land in the area. In neighboring Oregon, this is roughly 400,000 acres.
President Donald Trump officially declared the wildfires in Oregon a disaster on Wednesday, making financial aid available to the state. Trump previously announced a state of emergency in California due to the ongoing natural disasters.
Firefighters in the area are still fighting the fires. After favorable weather conditions last week, dry wind picked up again on Monday, which makes the extinguishing work more difficult.
According to the local fire department, more than 16,000 firefighters are currently fighting 25 major fires in the area.
Never before has the air quality in the area been so bad
Experts say the fires are of unprecedented magnitude and fierceness this year. The dense smoke released by the fires has seriously deteriorated the air quality in the area.
For example, dangerously poor air quality was measured in five major cities in Oregon, including Portland, Eugene, Bend, Medford and Klamath Falls. Never before has the air quality in the area been so bad.
The smoke also moves further into the country due to strong winds. In fact, deteriorated air quality was observed thousands of miles away in cities such as Washington DC and New York.
– .
