Wildfires rage in western U.S.

Dozens of wildfires rage across the western United States, threatening homes and national parks and covering the region with thick smoke and ash. On Tuesday, at least 80 large fires were burning 2,200 square miles of land in nine western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. A 16-square mile fire east of Portland, Ore., forced hundreds to evacuate and has covered parts of Portland’s metropolitan area with ash and smoke. Another fast-moving wildfire north of Salt Lake City on Tuesday destroyed homes, closed highways, and forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate. Wildfires elsewhere are threatening sequoia tree groves in Yosemite National Park in California, as well as iconic portions of Glacier National Park in Montana and Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Authorities have issued air quality alerts across the region and the National Weather Service predicts it will get worse as shifting winds bring in more smoke from fires burning in Canada, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.