Wildfires rage in California, Oregon and Washington

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Judson Jones, CNN

Updated 9:00 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020
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8:49 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

More than 470,000 acres have burned in Oregon so far

From CNN’s Pierre Meilhan

There are 48 active wildfires in Oregon that have consumed more than 470,000 acres so far, according to the state’s office of emergency management.

The Beach Creek Fire, which started on Aug. 16, is the largest in the state, with 132,450 acres burned, according to the agency.

8:46 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

More than 140,000 customers on the West Coast are without power

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

Customers across the West Coast remain in the dark this evening as fire officials continue to battle unprecedented wildfires.

Outages are being reported in California, Oregon and Washington.

According to PowerOutage.US, more than 140,000 are without power. 

California has the most outages, followed by Oregon and the state of Washington. 

7:44 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

More than 300,000 acres are burning in Oregon

From CNN’s Konstantin Toropin

Smoke from the Lionshead Fire and Beachie Creek Fire create an orange glow as an "extremely critical" fire warning is issued on Monday, September 7, in Oregon.
Smoke from the Lionshead Fire and Beachie Creek Fire create an orange glow as an "extremely critical" fire warning is issued on Monday, September 7, in Oregon. Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal/USA Today Network

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said that “more than 300,000 acres are burning across the state,” at a press conference today. 

That area would be the equivalent of over 450 square miles.

“In some parts of the state that are not yet burning, the worst fire conditions in three decades persist,” Brown added.

The conditions include dry air, dry brush, and hot winds, Brown explained. 

Brown said that she has directed the Office of Emergency Management to request a federal emergency declaration. It is also the first time the governor has invoked the Fire Compensation Act for the entire state, Brown said.

“This act gives the state fire marshal the power to direct and deploy state resources anywhere where they are needed,” Brown explained.

5:12 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

There are nearly 100 wildfires burning in the West

From CNN’s Joe Sutton

The number of wildfires in the western United States continues to increase daily. 

Yesterday, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported 87 large fires were burning across the country. Today that number has increased to 96.

These fires have now scorched 3,466,194 acres, the NIFC said.

4:38 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

Wildfires are creating orange skies around California

Multiple wildfires have been burning across the state of California, and in some areas, the blazes have produced eerie orange skies.

Here's what it looked like at Bidwell Bar Bridge in Lake Oroville, where the Bear Fire is burning, earlier today:

In San Francisco, smoke mixed with the marine layer, blanketing the city's skyline in darkness and an orange glow. It's seen here from Treasure Island today:

Philip Pacheco/Getty Images
Philip Pacheco/Getty Images

And cars drive in Concord, California, drove below an orange sky filled with wildfire smoke:

Brittany Hosea-Small/AFP via Getty Images
Brittany Hosea-Small/AFP via Getty Images

4:37 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by wildfires in Oregon

From CNN’s Konstantin Toropin

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said that her state is experiencing “unprecedented fire with significant damage and devastating consequences across the entire state” at a news conference today.

“This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state's history,” Brown added.

The governor said that hundreds of hundreds of homes have been lost. State officials are continuing to carry out mass evacuations across the entire state, she said.

“Early reports indicate that the towns of Detroit in central Oregon, Blue River and Vida in Lane County, and Phoenix and Talent in Southern Oregon, are substantially destroyed," Brown said. 

The governor said weather conditions are making the situation worse as crews fight the fires.

”Winds continue to feed these fires and push them into our towns and cities,” she said.

3:54 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

Wildfire smoke can be hazardous to your health. Here's why.

As wildfires burn up and down the US West Coast, the National Weather Service in Sacramento is warning residents of the health hazards smoke can cause.

Here's why wildfire smoke can make you sick: Wildfire smoke includes particles from burning vegetation and building materials mixed with gases. If your eyes feel like they're stinging, smoke exposure could also be inflicting other damage. Particles could be getting into your respiratory system. 

Exposure can cause chest pain, a fast heartbeat or wheezing or bring on an asthma attack. Besides coughing and trouble breathing, many people experience symptoms similar to a sinus infection, such as headaches, sore throat, a runny nose and even tiredness, according to the CDC. 

Wildfire smoke can be especially harmful to the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with chronic heart and lung diseases. Because children breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults and their airways are still developing, they may experience more severe symptoms. 

Those with asthma or lung disease should consult their doctors about navigating situations like this. Some people may even experience illnesses like bronchitis due to the fine particles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

3:32 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

All California national forests ordered to close due to "monumental wildfire threat"

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

Flames from the Creek Fire are seen along a road just outside of Shaver Lake, California, in the Sierra National Forest on September 7.
Flames from the Creek Fire are seen along a road just outside of Shaver Lake, California, in the Sierra National Forest on September 7. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

All 18 national forests in California have now been ordered to close due to the “explosive growth” of ongoing wildfires, according to a notice from the Forest Service.

“The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing across the State is historic,” said Regional Forester Randy Moore. “These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and firefighter, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely. I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires.”

The temporary closures encompass over 20 million acres of forest land across the state.

Eight national forests were ordered to close on Monday in Southern and Central California. Today, the remaining 10 forests will be closed to the public starting at 5 p.m. 

The additional closures include the Tahoe National Forest and Tahoe Basin Management Unit, as well as the Eldorado, Lassen, Klamath, Mendocino, Modoc, Six Rivers, Plumas, and Shasta-Trinity National forests.

3:29 p.m. ET, September 9, 2020

Portion of Paradise, California, under evacuation warning

From CNN's Stella Chan

Part of the Northern California town of Paradise — the site of 2018’s deadly Camp Fire— is under an evacuation warning due to yet another fire in the Golden State.

The massive North Complex Fire is prompting the town to issue a warning for zone 14, east of Pentz Road, according to a post on the Butte County Sheriff’s Facebook page.

Warnings have also been issued for the Concow area.