West Coast Winds Seen to Fuel the Spread of Wildfires

By Dana Cruz Sep 14 2020, 00:44 AM EDT

Some areas in the West Coast were issued a "red flag warning" by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), as high winds threaten to spread scorching wildfires further.

Wildfires In Oregon Force Mass Evacuations And Threaten Hundreds Of Structures — In this aerial view from a drone, residents sift through a home destroyed by wildfire on September 12, 2020 in Talent, Oregon. Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images

BBC reported that gusts up to 40 mph (64 km/h) are expected in some parts of the West Coast, with no rain.

Washington, California and Oregon has been seeing three weeks of raging wildfires, burning land and destroying homes. Thousands of people in the West Coast had to evacuate and at least 35 have died, according to Associated Press.

On Saturday, cooler conditions let firefighters make some progress with containing the fires, but the winds might make matters worse.

Red Flag Warning Raised

The forecast for Sunday prompted a warning of 15 to 25 mph winds and gusts of 30 to 40 mph. "Air quality will likely remain poor through the weekend due to continued fire smoke," the forecast said.

A red flag warning is the highest alert level for events that could possibly cause major fires. These kinds of warnings demand extreme caution by residents.

Warnings were raised in some areas like Jackson County, Oregon, and others. Oregon was where the Almeda fire started. It destroyed many homes and only 50 percent contained.

Officials said the fires have, so far, burned down an area that is as big as New Jersey. Reports also said the smoke made the air in the West Coast have and "acrid metallic smell like pennies."

Oregon suffered from smoke pollution from the wildfires. According to IQAir.com, it had the worst air quality in the world, followed by San Francisco and Seattle.

While it made people have a hard time breathing, it also helped firefighters block off the sun and turn the weather a little cooler in the area.

What is happening in Oregon?

Oregon is currently battling 16 large fires, with 40,000 of its residents under mandatory evacuation orders.

There were 10 people killed in the blazes, said Oregon's Office of Emergency Management (OEM), but officials warned the public that the death toll could still go up much higher.

The state is now hoping for a chance of rain by Monday, which might help solve their smoke problems and extinguish the fires. Oregon's Alameda fire is being treated as a possible arson case.

What is happening in Washington?

In Washington, firefighters are fighting off 15 large fires. It suffered the loss of one young life after a one-year-old boy died earlier this week as his family tried to escape the fire. His parents are still in critical condition.

What is happening in California?

President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in California on Monday. There, he will be briefed on the fires.

According to Orange County Register, more than 14,000 fire crews are fighting at least 28 wildfires. The death toll is at least 22 in total from fires since August 15.

Tens of thousands of people are under evacuation orders due to the major fires in the state. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in five counties on September 6.