AP: “The path of devastation spans thousands of miles where flames have consumed people, homes and cars while leaving a barren, gray landscape. But the massive wildfires aren’t done chewing through the West, shrouding the skies with choking smoke or driving residents from their homes. It’s an ominous harbinger of fall for the region that was the first to be hit hard by the coronavirus and where the cries for social justice have rung especially loud this summer with protests in Portland for more than 100 days. ‘What’s next?’ asked Danielle Oliver, who had to flee her home southeast of Portland ahead of the deadly flames. ‘You have the protests, coronavirus pandemic, now the wildfires. What else can go wrong?’ She’s one of tens of thousands of people displaced by wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington state. Many more are living with air contamination levels at historic highs. The region’s death toll has topped 30 and could increase sharply, with Oregon officials saying they are preparing for a possible ‘mass casualty event’ if more bodies are found in the ash.”
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