Unprecedented US wildfires claim 16 lives; 5L evacuated

NEW YORK: Around half a million people in Oregon evacuated as dozens of extreme, wind-driven wildfires scorched US west coast states on Friday, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least 16 people. Since Monday, 11 people have died from fires in California, while four were killed in Oregon and a 1-year-old boy died in Washington state, police reported.
In Oregon alone the number of people evacuated climbed to some 500,000 — about an eighth of the state’s population — as Portland suburbs came under threat from the state’s biggest blaze. Thousands more were displaced in the neighbouring Washington and California. Oregon bore the brunt of nearly 100 wildfires, with around 3,000 firefighters battling nearly three dozen blazes and officials saying twice as many people were needed.