Fires Ravaging Oregon, Washington, and California

Sept. 12, 2020 (EIRNS)—Oregon, in the midst of the insurrection, now has more than a million acres destroyed by the fires, one closing in on Portland, while the fires in California and Washington continue. It has been determined that some of these fires were intentionally set. At least 20 people have been killed in the three states, with many others missing. Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon said that the state’s air quality ranks the worst in the world. “Almost anywhere in the state you can feel this right now,” she said. More than 40,000 people in Oregon have already been evacuated, and about 500,000 are in zones that may be evacuated. Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland declared a state of emergency on Thursday night, Sept. 10, and residents of Molalla, about 30 miles to the south, packed highways as they fled from the approaching fires, CNN reported. Two towns have been “obliterated,” they report —Talent and Phoenix.

In California more than 3 million acres have burned. Gov. Gavin Newsom held a news conference yesterday in a burned-out area, saying: “We have now—currently have—five active fires that are five of the most destructive fires in the history of the state.... Thirty-nine hundred-plus structures have been destroyed.” He said he had talked with President Donald Trump for half an hour on Sept. 9, who pledged support.

All three governors and all the pundits say it is all due to climate change, although CNN reports that Newsom at least “acknowledged that poor forest management over decades has contributed to the severity of wildfires.” He then added: “California is America in fast forward. What we’re experiencing right now is coming to communities all across the country.”

The Oregon prison system is moving over 2,000 prisoners out of the path of the fire, but acknowledges that this aggravates the severe COVID-19 problem among prisoners.

CNN also reports: “Studies have shown that when waves of smoke hit, the rate of hospital visits rises and many of the additional patients experience respiratory problems, heart attacks and strokes.”