Fires in Oregon and Washington destroy hundreds of homes, leave at least 3 dead

The Holiday Farm fire in Oregon.
(Image credit: Tyee Burwell/AFP via Getty Images)

With several catastrophic fires burning across Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown (D) warned on Wednesday that all residents "must be on high alert," as the blazes could lead to the "greatest loss of human life and property due to wildfire in our state's history."

The fires spread during a windstorm on Monday, and Brown said hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Some areas are still so dangerous that Oregon Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said it isn't safe for officials to survey the damages. It is believed that the fires near Medford and Salem are especially destructive, The Associated Press reports, and police have confirmed that a 12-year-old boy and his grandmother were killed by a fire in the city of Lyons.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.