Deadly fires rage through the Pacific Northwest

Unprecedented wildfires fanned by wind gusts of 50 mph killed at least three people as flames moved across seven Oregon counties and left many other areas on alert for possible evacuations. Oregon Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said the extent of the damage is unknown since many of the fire zones remain too dangerous to assess. A 1-year-old boy also died in Washington as wildfires burned through more than 480,000 acres in the usually wet, cool state.

What is different this time? Firefighters in the Pacific Northwest have often battled wildfires in the eastern and southern parts of the region due to the hotter and drier climate, but never to this extent. The National Interagency Fire Center said there are eight large wildfires burning in Idaho. In Northern California, at least three people died as wildfires forced thousands of residents to leave their homes.

Dig deeper: Follow the latest wildfire developments on the Northwest Fire Consortium’s website.