Los Angeles suffers worst smog in 26 years as wildfires continue to sweep across the West Coast

California residents are comparing the Bay Area’s apocalyptic orange skies to scenes from Blade Runner 2049 while Los Angeles is suffering the worst smog in 26 years and its air quality has plummeted to the poorest in the world as wildfires continue to rip through the West Coast leaving at least 23 dead. 

Almost 100 major fires continue to rage across 12 states, devastating almost 4.4 million acres and wiping out thousands of homes in their paths.  

California, Oregon and Washington state have been hardest-hit with more than 500,000 Oregonians – 10 percent of the population – forced to evacuate after 1,400 square miles have been scorched statewide in the last week alone causing the major city of Portland to declare a state of emergency. 

In Northern California, the North Complex fire that destroyed a foothill hamlet is now the state’s deadliest blaze of the year with 10 people confirmed dead – as officials warn the toll could climb higher as emergency crews desperately search for at least 16 missing people. 

Four other deaths have been confirmed in Oregon, including a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother – and one in Washington state. 

Areas that have so far escaped the blazes unscathed are now in the grips of dangerously poor air quality, with San Francisco blanketed in thick smog and its air quality now the joint worst in the world with Dubai.    

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday as smog from the wildfires screen the sun on the horizon

BLADE RUNNER 2049: California residents are comparing the Bay Area's apocalyptic orange skies to scenes from Blade Runner 2049

BLADE RUNNER 2049: California residents are comparing the Bay Area’s apocalyptic orange skies to scenes from Blade Runner 2049

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The worst of the lung-damaging ozone pollution was in San Francisco and Oakland – the Golden Gate bridge was almost camouflaged against the orange hue – and also in Sonoma County, particularly the town of Sebastopol

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The worst of the lung-damaging ozone pollution was in San Francisco and Oakland – the Golden Gate bridge was almost camouflaged against the orange hue – and also in Sonoma County, particularly the town of Sebastopol

MEDFORD, OREGON: A person walks past gutted homes in the Medford Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Medford which authorities are investigating as possible arson

MEDFORD, OREGON: A person walks past gutted homes in the Medford Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Medford which authorities are investigating as possible arson 

PHOENIX, OREGON: Drone footage shows a mobile home park in Phoenix, Oregon, on Thursday totally destroyed by the wildfires sweeping across the state and the rest of the West Coast

PHOENIX, OREGON: Drone footage shows a mobile home park in Phoenix, Oregon, on Thursday totally destroyed by the wildfires sweeping across the state and the rest of the West Coast

The map above shows 103 fires that have already burned more than 3.4 million acres across the western United States

This comes as:

  • Authorities announced the cause of the deadly Almeda fire in Oregon that has so far killed two and destroyed hundreds of homes is now under investigation as a potential arson attack after a body was found near the start of the blaze. 
  • The National Weather Service revealed that a staggering 87 percent of all US wildfires in 2020 have been caused by humans. 
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the wildfires are proof of the climate crisis and warned Americans that ‘Mother Earth is angry.’ Pelosi told MSNBC Thursday: ‘She’s telling us – whether she’s telling us with hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, fires in the West, whatever it is… that the climate crisis is real and has an impact.’ 
  • Officials denied reports spreading on social media that fires have been started by far-left group Antifa and far-right group Proud Boys and told residents to dismiss the rumors spread by unofficial sources.
  • Family members of a couple who escaped from a wildfire in rural Washington State but tragically lost their one-year-old son have described their ordeal as a ‘miracle with a tragic ending’.  
  • The Oregon Department of Corrections said it was evacuating the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville as two growing fires appeared to be merging and headed for the facility.
  • Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency Thursday, shuttering public parks and spaces, housing the city’s homeless and activating evacuation shelters for displaced residents in the state’s largest city.

Parts of California were shrouded in burnt orange skies Thursday, with residents taking to social media to compare the sight to the end-of-the-world movies and, in particular, Blade Runner 2049. 

The hotly-anticipated follow-up to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner was released in 2017 and was famed for its orange scenes set in Las Vegas in 2049.

At the time, some critics blasted the scenes as unrealistic but social media users pointed out this week that the reality was closer than anyone could have anticipated. 

The skies above the Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge were lit up with flaming orange hues Thursday and there were some reports of ash raining down from the skies. 

The orange skies have been caused by a combination of the smoke fumes from the wildfires mixed with clouds and fog and blocking out the sunlight in the Golden State.   

Unlike earlier in the week when high winds swept a lot of the smoke out to sea, the air quality had deteriorated considerably across California by Thursday morning.

The worst of the lung-damaging ozone pollution was in San Francisco and Oakland – the Golden Gate bridge was almost camouflaged against the orange hue – and also in Sonoma County, particularly the town of Sebastopol.

IQAir, which measures air quality throughout the world, found that San Francisco was tied with Dubai in the UAE with having the world’s worst air quality with an index of 167 parts per billion at 10am, considered ‘very unhealthy’ and way above the federal standard of 70ppb.

In rural areas such as Yosemite National Park that AQI level soared to 400ppb, the LA Times reported.

Lung-damaging ozone pollution spiked to 185ppb in downtown LA at midday on Sunday, the highest reading in Southern California since 2003 and highest in the city for 26 years.   

PHOENIX, OREGON: An aerial shot from a drone of a mobile home park destroyed by fire in Phoenix, Oregon, on Thursday. More than 500,000 Oregonians were forced to flee the wildfires

PHOENIX, OREGON: An aerial shot from a drone of a mobile home park destroyed by fire in Phoenix, Oregon, on Thursday. More than 500,000 Oregonians were forced to flee the wildfires

PHOENIX, OREGON: Fire-ravaged homes in Oregon are seen from above on Thursday

PHOENIX, OREGON: Fire-ravaged homes in Oregon are seen from above on Thursday

PHOENIX, OREGON: In this aerial view from a drone, a mobile home park destroyed by fire is shown on September 10, 2020 in Phoenix, Oregon. Hundreds of homes in the town have been lost due to wildfire

PHOENIX, OREGON: In this aerial view from a drone, a mobile home park destroyed by fire is shown on September 10, 2020 in Phoenix, Oregon. Hundreds of homes in the town have been lost due to wildfire

PHOENIX, OREGON: Phoenix was reduced to a wasteland by the ferocious fires which have been raging across the West Coast

PHOENIX, OREGON: Phoenix was reduced to a wasteland by the ferocious fires which have been raging across the West Coast

PHOENIX, OREGON: West Coast authorities have reported that at least 23 people have died in wildfires that are raging in California, Oregon and Washington state. This aerial view shows a mobile home park in Phoenix, Oregon, that was destroyed by a fire

PHOENIX, OREGON: West Coast authorities have reported that at least 23 people have died in wildfires that are raging in California, Oregon and Washington state. This aerial view shows a mobile home park in Phoenix, Oregon, that was destroyed by a fire 

PHOENIX, OREGON: Hundreds of homes in Phoenix, Oregon (mobile home park pictured), have been lost due to wildfires in the state

PHOENIX, OREGON: Hundreds of homes in Phoenix, Oregon (mobile home park pictured), have been lost due to wildfires in the state 

CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire consumes a forest in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California. California wildfires that have already incinerated a record 2.3 million acres this year and are expected to continue till December. The Bobcat Fire has grown to about 24,00 acres, and is 6% contained.

CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire consumes a forest in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California. California wildfires that have already incinerated a record 2.3 million acres this year and are expected to continue till December. The Bobcat Fire has grown to about 24,00 acres, and is 6% contained.

CALIFORNIA: Flames are seen at the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

CALIFORNIA: Flames are seen at the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: People watch as thick smoke from the Bobcat fire moves through downtown Los Angeles, California, on Thursday

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: People watch as thick smoke from the Bobcat fire moves through downtown Los Angeles, California, on Thursday 

OREGON CITY, OREGON: Oregon residents evacuate north along highway Highway 213 on Wednesday near Oregon City, Oregon. As of Thursday night, more than 500,000 Oregonians - 10 per cent of the state's population - have been forced to evacuate

OREGON CITY, OREGON: Oregon residents evacuate north along highway Highway 213 on Wednesday near Oregon City, Oregon. As of Thursday night, more than 500,000 Oregonians – 10 per cent of the state’s population – have been forced to evacuate 

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The Golden Gate Bridge is seen at 11am on Wednesday in San Francisco, amid a smoky, orange hue caused by the ongoing wildfires

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: The Golden Gate Bridge is seen at 11am on Wednesday in San Francisco, amid a smoky, orange hue caused by the ongoing wildfires

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: More than 14,000 firefighters are battling 28 fires across California, according to the Department of Fires and Forestry Protection. An exhausted Cal Fire crew were seen taking a break in the grass next to Berry Creek Elementary School, which was destroyed overnight during the Bear Fire on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: More than 14,000 firefighters are battling 28 fires across California, according to the Department of Fires and Forestry Protection. An exhausted Cal Fire crew were seen taking a break in the grass next to Berry Creek Elementary School, which was destroyed overnight during the Bear Fire on Wednesday

GATES, OREGON: A bird bath is seen in front of the charred remains of a home after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon, on Thursday

GATES, OREGON: A bird bath is seen in front of the charred remains of a home after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon, on Thursday

TALENT, OREGON: A neighborhood destroyed by fire is seen as wildfires devastate the region on Thursday in Talent, Oregon

TALENT, OREGON: A neighborhood destroyed by fire is seen as wildfires devastate the region on Thursday in Talent, Oregon

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: A Coulson 737 firefighting tanker jet drops fire retardant to slow Bobcat Fire at the top of a major run up a mountainside in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: A Coulson 737 firefighting tanker jet drops fire retardant to slow Bobcat Fire at the top of a major run up a mountainside in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire advances in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire advances in the Angeles National Forest on September 10, 2020 north of Monrovia, California

Oregon fire under investigation as ARSON after body is found near the blaze’s origin and 87% of all 2020 wildfires have been caused by humans 

The Almeda fire in Oregon that has so far killed two is now under investigation as a potential arson attack after a body was discovered near the start of the blaze.

Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara announced Thursday a criminal investigation has been opened into the cause of the fire saying he believes the circumstances around the fire were ‘suspicious’.

Investigators are looking into the possible connection between the blaze and the death of an unidentified individual, whose body was found near the origin of the fire.  

‘We have good reason to believe that there was a human element to it,’ O’Meara said of the Almeda fire Thursday. 

‘We’re going to pursue it as a criminal investigation until we have reason to believe that it was otherwise.’

O’Meara did not elaborate on the suspicions of authorities but said police are working alongside the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on the investigation ‘including the resulting death that occurred nearby along the Greenway.’  

Sheriff Nathan Sickler confirmed Wednesday that a body had been discovered around a mile from the origin point of the fire along the Bear Creek Greenway in north Ashland. 

Two people have so far been killed by the blaze, although authorities warned the true death toll is likely to be higher.  

The fire started in Ashland Tuesday before spreading across more than 3,000 acres  and destroying 600 homes in surrounding communities.  

This comes as the National Weather Service (NWS) revealed a staggering 87 percent of all wildfires that have ravaged America this year were caused by humans.  

Stark data showed that 36,383 of the 41,599 fires that have ripped through the nation in the first nine months of the year were started by humans, burning a total of 2,510,743 acres.  

California has been hardest-hit by human-caused fires, with a total of 7,072 as of September 10. 

Texas was second with 4,170, followed by North Carolina with 1,889, Florida with 1,779 and Arizona with 1,552.

In Oregon, authorities said Thursday night that more than 500,000 people statewide were forced to evacuate due to wildfires. 

The latest figures, from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, show more than 10 per cent of the state’s 4.2 million population have fled the deadly fires as more than 1,400 square miles have burned this week in the state. 

Authorities said the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot, windy conditions continued. 

At least four people have been killed including a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother who were found dead with their dog after trying to escape the Santiam Fire in Marion County. 

Wyatt Tofte, 12, and Peggy Mosso were killed in the wildfire in the Santiam Valley and the fire was also suspected of causing at least one death outside of Ashland.

Governor Kate Brown said Thursday more Oregonians have been killed but the exact number is not yet known. 

The Oregon Department of Corrections said it was evacuating the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, 16 miles south of Portland, as two growing fires appeared to be merging and headed for the facility. 

This came after three other prisons near Oregon’s capital city of Salem were forced to evacuate inmates and staff earlier in the week. 

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency Thursday, shuttering public parks and spaces, housing the city’s homeless and activating evacuation shelters for displaced residents in the state’s largest city.

Officials warned that emergency crew resources are now in short supply in the city, after many were drafted to tackle blazes in other parts of the state.  

The Almeda fire in Oregon that has so far killed two is now under investigation as a potential arson attack after a body was discovered near the start of the blaze.

Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara announced Thursday a criminal investigation has been opened into the cause of the fire saying he believes the circumstances around the fire were ‘suspicious’.

Investigators are looking into the possible connection between the blaze and the death of an unidentified individual, whose body was found near the origin of the fire.    

The fire started in Ashland Tuesday before spreading across more than 3,000 acres  and destroying 600 homes in surrounding communities.  

This comes as the National Weather Service (NWS) revealed a staggering 87 percent of all wildfires that have ravaged America this year were caused by humans.  

Stark data showed that 36,383 of the 41,599 fires that have ripped through the nation were started by humans, burning a total of 2,510,743 acres.  

California has been hardest-hit by human-caused fires, with a total of 7,072 as of September 10. 

Texas was second with 4,170, followed by North Carolina with 1,889, Florida with 1,779 and Arizona with 1,552.

Despite the prevalence of human-caused fires, authorities in Oregon have waded in on rumors that wildfires in the state have been deliberately started by extremist political groups.  

Unsubstantiated reports have been surfacing on social media that the fires have been started by far-left group Antifa and far-right group Proud Boys.

Officials denied the reports and told residents to dismiss the rumors spread by unofficial sources.  

‘Remember when we said to follow official sources only,’ the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon posted on social media. 

‘Remember when we said rumors make this already difficult incident even harder? Rumors spread just like wildfire and now our 9-1-1 dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires in DOUGLAS COUNTY, OREGON.’ 

Medford Police Department also wrote in a Facebook post that officers had not arrested anyone connected to the Proud Boys or Antifa for arson and warned of a fake post using the department’s logo claiming five Proud Boys had been arrested for arson in 2018.

The quashing of rumors comes as the state is being ravaged by the wildfires as well as widespread unrest as protests mount calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality across America.    

Meanwhile in California, the North Complex fire is now the state’s deadliest blaze of the year with 10 people confirmed dead. 

Butte County sheriff’s deputies and detectives found seven bodies on Thursday, a day after three other victims were discovered. 

Among those unaccounted for are Sandy Butler and her husband, who called their son to say they were going to try to escape the flames by finding shelter in a pond.

‘We’re still hoping and praying for good news,’ said Jessica Fallon, who has two children with the Butler’s grandson and considers them her own grandparents. 

‘Everything is replaceable, but not my grandparents’ lives. I’d rather lose everything than those two. They kind of held the family together.’ 

The North Complex fire was advancing more slowly Friday after the winds eased and smoke from the blaze shaded the area and lowered the temperature, allowing firefighters to make progress, authorities said. 

More bodies could be found as crews manage to make their way into devastated areas. 

A team of anthropologists from Chico State University were helping in the search, sheriff’s Capt Derek Bell said.

GATES, ORGEON: A charred vehicle is seen in the parking lot of the burned Oak Park Motel after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon on Thursday

GATES, ORGEON: A charred vehicle is seen in the parking lot of the burned Oak Park Motel after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon on Thursday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A Butte Sheriff officer checks on a vehicle that was burned in the Bear Fire near Lake Oroville in Northern California on Thursday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A Butte Sheriff officer checks on a vehicle that was burned in the Bear Fire near Lake Oroville in Northern California on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: An air attack plane flies by the plume of the colossal wildfire raging in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: An air attack plane flies by the plume of the colossal wildfire raging in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Mormon Lake Hotshots firefighter Sara Sweeney uses a drip torch to set a backfire to protect mountain communities from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 10

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Mormon Lake Hotshots firefighter Sara Sweeney uses a drip torch to set a backfire to protect mountain communities from the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest on September 10

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Firemen monitor the advance of the raging wildfire in Angeles National Park on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Firemen monitor the advance of the raging wildfire in Angeles National Park on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Felled tree trunks burning in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Felled tree trunks burning in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday

GATES, ORGEON: A charred swing set and car are seen after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon, on Thursday

GATES, ORGEON: A charred swing set and car are seen after the passage of the Santiam Fire in Gates, Oregon, on Thursday 

GATES, OREGON: The charred remains of the Gates Elementary School in Oregon on Thursday after the inferno ripped through the town

GATES, OREGON: The charred remains of the Gates Elementary School in Oregon on Thursday after the inferno ripped through the town

The weeks-old fire was about 50 per cent contained when winds thrashed it into explosive growth on Tuesday, driving it through rugged Sierra Nevada foothills and destroying much of the town of Berry Creek.

More than 2,000 homes and other buildings had burned in the lightning-sparked collection of fires now known as the North Complex burning about 125 miles northeast of San Francisco.  

The fire is among five this year that have set records for the most land ever burned, including a blaze that broke the mark Thursday as the largest ever.

More than 4,800 square miles have burned so far this year – more land than Rhode Island, Delaware and Washington, DC, combined – and fall is typically the worst season for fires. 

Nineteen people have been killed and nearly 4,000 structures have burned across the state.

House Speaker Pelosi spoke out Thursday about the devastating blazes ravaging her home state.

‘Mother Earth is angry,’ she said Thursday on MSNBC. ‘She’s telling us – whether she’s telling us with hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, fires in the West, whatever it is… that the climate crisis is real and has an impact.’

Pelosi said later Thursday that climate policies needed to be ‘absolutely a priority’ in the upcoming election to prevent more deadly blazes ravaging the nation.  

GRIDLEY, CALIFORNIA: People fleeing from wildfires in Northern California gather at a temporary evacuation point in Gridley, California, on Thursday

GRIDLEY, CALIFORNIA: People fleeing from wildfires in Northern California gather at a temporary evacuation point in Gridley, California, on Thursday 

GRIDLEY, CALIFORNIA: A sign warning of impending fire danger is posted on a roadway in Estacada, Oregon. Multiple wildfires grew by hundreds of thousands of acres Thursday, prompting large-scale evacuations throughout the state

GRIDLEY, CALIFORNIA: A sign warning of impending fire danger is posted on a roadway in Estacada, Oregon. Multiple wildfires grew by hundreds of thousands of acres Thursday, prompting large-scale evacuations throughout the state

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Members of the Mormon Hot Shots from Arizona lay hose line down rugged terrain off Highway 39 near Crystal Lake in front of the Bobcat Fire, which has burned more than 23,000 acres on Thursday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: Members of the Mormon Hot Shots from Arizona lay hose line down rugged terrain off Highway 39 near Crystal Lake in front of the Bobcat Fire, which has burned more than 23,000 acres on Thursday 

LEABURG, OREGON: Firefighters work on mopping up a back burn near Leaburg, Oregon, on Thursday. A dearth of resources has hampered the fight against the Holiday Farm Fire

LEABURG, OREGON: Firefighters work on mopping up a back burn near Leaburg, Oregon, on Thursday. A dearth of resources has hampered the fight against the Holiday Farm Fire

MOLALLA, OREGON: An orange smoke-filled sky is seen above Molalla, Oregon, on Thursday as fires burn nearby

MOLALLA, OREGON: An orange smoke-filled sky is seen above Molalla, Oregon, on Thursday as fires burn nearby

The fires, fed by drought-sapped vegetation amid warming temperatures attributed to climate change, have spread at an alarming rate and given people less time to flee.

Hundreds of campers, hikers, and people spending Labor Day weekend at mountainside reservoirs and retreats had to be evacuated by military helicopters when they got stranded by a fast-moving fire that broke out in the Sierra National Forest in the center of the state during record-setting high temperatures.

President Donald Trump spoke with Gov Gavin Newsom on Thursday ‘to express his condolences for the loss of life and reiterate the administration’s full support to help those on the front lines of the fires,’ according to White House spokesman Judd Deere.

The North Complex fire is the 10th largest in the record books and growing as firefighters try to prevent it from advancing toward the town of Paradise, where the most destructive fire in state history two years ago killed 85 people and destroyed 19,000 buildings.

Authorities lifted an evacuation warning for Paradise on Thursday, the day after residents awoke to similar skies as the 2018 morning when a wind-whipped inferno reduced the town to rubble. 

Under red skies and falling ash Wednesday, many chose to flee again, jamming the main road out of town in another replay of the catastrophe two years ago. 

About 20,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings in three counties from the fire.

OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA: Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, California, Wednesday night. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region

OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA: Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, California, Wednesday night. The blaze, part of the lightning-sparked North Complex, expanded at a critical rate of spread as winds buffeted the region

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: Flames consume a home and car as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: Flames consume a home and car as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: Flames shoot from a window as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, in Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: Flames shoot from a window as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, in Wednesday

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire consumes a forest in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday north of Monrovia, California

MONROVIA, CALIFORNIA: The Bobcat Fire consumes a forest in the Angeles National Forest on Thursday north of Monrovia, California

Some 14,000 firefighters continued to try to corral 29 major wildfires from the Oregon border to just north of Mexico, though California was almost entirely free of critical fire weather warnings after days of hot, dry conditions and the threat of strong winds.

Smoke blew into vineyards in wine country north of San Francisco, and rose above scenic Big Sur on the Central Coast and in the foothills and mountains of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties in the southern part of the state.

Numerous fires continued to burn in Washington and Oregon, as well, and dense smoke blanketed much of the West Coast on Thursday morning, darkening skies with hazardous air pollution.

Authorities in Washington state announced the arrest of a second person for intentionally starting a brush fire in Pierce County.

State troopers said a witness saw the man setting fire to grass with a match near State Route 512 and State Route 7 and called police. After a brief chase, troopers arrested the individual.

The recent arrest follows that of a 36-year-old Puyallup man who was taken into custody for allegedly starting a large brushfire which temporarily shut down state Route 167 and several ramps near Meridian Avenue.

In Oregon, a fire raging along the Oregon border destroyed 150 homes near the community of Happy Camp and one person was confirmed dead, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said. About 400 more homes were threatened.

The fire that roared into the hamlet of Berry Creek, with a population of 525, incinerated countless homes and largely destroyed Camp Okizu, a summer getaway for children with cancer.

A crew fighting the fire was overrun by flames when winds shifted and its members escaped with only minor injuries after deploying emergency shelters. 

It was the second time in two days that firefighters in California had to take the rare last-ditch effort to save their lives.

Fallon, who had driven from the San Francisco Bay Area after hearing the Butlers were missing Wednesday morning, waited with her toddler son and 2-year-old daughter with dozens of evacuees gathered at a fairgrounds in the small city of Gridley, trembling in morning cold.

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A scorched car rests in a clearing following the Bear Fire in Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A scorched car rests in a clearing following the Bear Fire in Butte County, California, on Wednesday 

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A hand crew works to save a home as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A hand crew works to save a home as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A hand crew clears vegetation from around a barn as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

BERRY CREEK, CALIFORNIA: A hand crew clears vegetation from around a barn as the Bear Fire burns through the Berry Creek area of Butte County, California, on Wednesday

Among them was Douglas Johnsrude, who packed up his eight dogs and fled his home in the community of Feather Falls on Tuesday.

Johnsrude said he assumed his house trailer burned, which would be the second time he’s lost his home in a fire. He inherited his mother’s house after her death, but it was destroyed in a 2017 fire.

‘The reason I haven’t rebuilt up there is because I knew it was going to happen again. And guess what? It happened again,’ he said. ‘Seeing the smoke and the flames and everything else, it’s unreal. It’s like an apocalypse or something.’

Butte County spokeswoman Amy Travis described the evacuation center as a staging area while officials line up hotel rooms for families displaced by the fire amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘COVID has changed the way we do sheltering,’ she said. ‘We don’t have a lot of hotel rooms here in Butte County, and a lot of them are definitely busy with people that have already made their own hotel arrangements for evacuations.’

Fallon said she’d been peppering hospitals with phone calls in search of her grandparents.

Her daughter, Ava, doesn’t understand what’s going on. She thinks they’re camping. The girl typically speaks with her great-grandmother two to three times a day.

‘I´m tossing and turning. I have just such bad anxiety. I’m just really worried about my grandparents,’ Fallon said. ‘I’m hoping that they’re up there sitting in some water waiting to be rescued.’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: People watch as thick smoke from the Bobcat fire moves through Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 10, 2020

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: People watch as thick smoke from the Bobcat fire moves through Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 10, 2020

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: An airplane flies above the thick smog from the Bobcat fire moving through Los Angeles, California, on Thursday

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: An airplane flies above the thick smog from the Bobcat fire moving through Los Angeles, California, on Thursday

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Visitors look out across the horizon on Thursday staggered by the thick smog sweeping in from the forest wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Visitors look out across the horizon on Thursday staggered by the thick smog sweeping in from the forest wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A view of downtown Los Angeles under an orange overcast sky in the afternoon in Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 September 2020. California wildfire smoke high in the atmosphere all over the state blocked the sunlight and turned the sky orange and yellow for most of the day

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A view of downtown Los Angeles under an orange overcast sky in the afternoon in Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 September 2020. California wildfire smoke high in the atmosphere all over the state blocked the sunlight and turned the sky orange and yellow for most of the day

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Downtown Los Angeles is seen blanketed by thick smoke amid the worst air pollution in decades caused by wildfires

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Downtown Los Angeles is seen blanketed by thick smoke amid the worst air pollution in decades caused by wildfires

Family of couple who survived Washington wildfire but tragically lost their one year old son detail their harrowing escape and call it a ‘miracle with a tragic ending’ 

Family members of the couple who remarkably escaped from a wildfire in rural Washington State but tragically lost their one-year-old son have described their ordeal as a ‘miracle with a tragic ending’.

Jake and Jamie Hyland and their infant son Uriel were evacuating their property in a remote stretch of Okanogan at around midnight on Sunday when they got trapped by the Cold Springs Fire that began raging hours before.

The couple, who are expecting their second child, were unable to reach family members or the emergency services because power lines were down.

After hours of no contact, Jake’s cousin Jim Mabry decided to head down to the Hyland’s remote property on Tuesday. By this time, the wildfire had turned surrounding pastures of four-foot-high sage into complete ash.

Mabry soon discovered Jake’s truck in a ravine around a quarter of a mile away from their home. The vehicle, which had burst through a barbed wire fence, was severely charred. Its windshield had melted, and the steering wheel and dashboard were completely destroyed.

‘When I first saw the truck, I didn’t want to search,’ Mabry told The Daily Beast. ‘I was so convinced I was coming across remains. Because I didn’t see any chance of them making it.’

Jake and Jamie Hyland and their infant son Uriel were evacuating their property in a remote stretch of Okanogan at around midnight on Sunday when they got trapped by the Cold Springs Fire

Jake and Jamie Hyland and their infant son Uriel were evacuating their property in a remote stretch of Okanogan at around midnight on Sunday when they got trapped by the Cold Springs Fire

Mabry soon discovered Jake’s truck in a ravine around a quarter of a mile away from their home. The vehicle, which had burst through a barbed wire fence, was severely charred. Its windshield had melted, and the steering wheel and dashboard were completely destroyed

Mabry soon discovered Jake’s truck in a ravine around a quarter of a mile away from their home. The vehicle, which had burst through a barbed wire fence, was severely charred. Its windshield had melted, and the steering wheel and dashboard were completely destroyed

Incredibly Jake and Jamie did manage to escape the pick-up truck with Uri. They headed towards the Columbia River where they were miraculously found by rescuers along a bank on Wednesday.

Both Jamie and Jake were alive but gravely injured. Tragically, baby Uri was already dead, bringing the death toll from fires raging up and down the West Coast to seven.

‘It’s a miracle with a sad ending,’ Mabry said. ‘They survived, but lost a child.’

‘They loved their son,’ he added. ‘He was their ray of hope.’

Mabry is pictured above with his wife Tammy. He described  Jake and Jamie's story of survival as 'a miracle with a tragic end'

Mabry is pictured above with his wife Tammy. He described  Jake and Jamie’s story of survival as ‘a miracle with a tragic end’

The parents were transported to Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster before being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Jamie, 26, who is pregnant, suffered burns covering 40 to 50 percent of her body, mostly covering her arms, hands and face. She underwent surgery on her arms this week and is currently in stable, but critical condition, a relative wrote in the GoFundMe page.

‘She has multiple infections (I don’t know where). But she is responding well to antibiotics,’ Dawn Marie, Jamie’s sister, wrote.

‘They believe she will be intubated for the foreseeable future (could be a day or many more they just don’t know yet). They pulled some fluid that concerned them from her lungs. They will be doing a scope of some sort to see how badly her lungs are damaged from the smoke.’

Jake, 31, meanwhile, was burned on 25 percent of his body and was preparing for surgery on his arms as well. He also suffered a collapsed lung and had to be intubated but is now able to breathe on his own, the post said.

Family members say he’s likely to remain in intensive care for the next two weeks, and will undergo anywhere between four and eight more surgeries in that time.

The fundraiser has so far amassed more than $160,000 in donations for the couple, to help pay their medical bills. The page includes a number of photos of the couple and little Uriel smiling on their remote property just weeks ago.

Mabry described the property as deeply isolated, with no cell phone service, electricity or running water, and the closest town is a 45 minute drive away.

Incredibly Jake and Jamie did manage to escape the pick-up truck. They headed towards the Columbia River where they were miraculously found by rescuers gravely injured along a bank on Wednesday. Tragically, baby Uri was already dead, bringing the death toll from fires raging up and down the West Coast to seven

Incredibly Jake and Jamie did manage to escape the pick-up truck. They headed towards the Columbia River where they were miraculously found by rescuers gravely injured along a bank on Wednesday. Tragically, baby Uri was already dead, bringing the death toll from fires raging up and down the West Coast to seven

The Cold Springs Fire is just one of a number of blazes currently decimating parts of the Pacific Northwest and California in recent days

The Cold Springs Fire is just one of a number of blazes currently decimating parts of the Pacific Northwest and California in recent days

The Hyland family, who live outside Portland in Renton, had been visiting their house in Okanogan for the Labor Day weekend.

According to Mabry, the couple had stopped at the property to drop off supplies on their way home from a wedding on Sunday. The Cold Springs Fire began at around 9:45pm that evening and reached the property within just a few hours.

‘People have been making rude comments, about how dumb they are that they didn’t get the evacuation notice,’ Mabry’s wife Tammy revealed to The Daily Beast. ‘It is off grid. I don’t think people understand that.’

Mabry said the couple decided to leave their truck when it hit some rocks and became stuck. They fled on foot in the darkness early Monday morning, carrying only their young son and a jug of water.

Authorities slated a search for Wednesday at 10am. Remarkably, they were discovered hours before by a boat from the Colville Tribe’s fish and wildlife agency thanks to a family member posting about the Hylands on a local fire watch page.

Relatives said they were both shocked and thankful that Jamie and Jake were found alive.

‘When you look at the scene, we were like… we don’t know how they could have survived. The truck is like something you couldn’t believe,’ Tammy said.

‘Being a mom was her dream,’ Tammie said of Jamie. ‘She was made to be a mom.’

Mabry described his own overwhelming feelings when Jake and Jamie were found to Fox13. Though he and his cousin are 15-years apart in age, he said they both share a close bond.

‘We had a common hero,’ Mabry told the network of Cloyd Paxton, their grandfather, who served in the Marines on the Pacific Front during World War II.

Before his death, Mabry said he asked his grandfather what the hardest thing he had to face in life was. Paxton’s reply had nothing to do about the war, instead it was burying his daughter, Mabry said.

Now, Mabry said his younger cousin is facing the same tragic fate.

‘For Jake, if Grandpa can do it you can do it. He didn’t let that loss stop his heart for people, and I hope the same for you. In all the pain and all the hurt that you will overcome, like grandpa,’ he said.

A GoFundME has so far amassed more than $160,000 in donations for the couple, to help pay their medical bills. The page includes a number of photos of the couple and little Uriel smiling on their remote property just weeks ago

A GoFundME has so far amassed more than $160,000 in donations for the couple, to help pay their medical bills. The page includes a number of photos of the couple and little Uriel smiling on their remote property just weeks ago

Ninety major fires in 13 states have torched more than 3.4 million acres over the past week - decimating entire towns in Washington, Oregon and California (Cold Springs Fire shown above)

Ninety major fires in 13 states have torched more than 3.4 million acres over the past week – decimating entire towns in Washington, Oregon and California (Cold Springs Fire shown above)

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