TALENT, Ore.—Residents and officials have begun surveying the vast destruction in Oregon’s small towns while gusty winds and low humidity continue to propel wildfires that have burned millions of acres and displaced thousands of people across the Western U.S. Conditions remain dire, and a top Oregon official said Tuesday that control of the conflagrations—two of which have been burning since mid-August—could still be weeks away. In California alone, an area larger than the state of Connecticut has been burned this summer. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning early Tuesday for parts of Northern California and Oregon, indicating extreme fire conditions exacerbated by wind and drier air. On Tuesday, Sandra Spelliscy, Talent’s city manager, toured the streets, passing by whole neighborhoods and commercial areas that were destroyed last week.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 15, 2020 14:08 UTC