False posts and rumors of antifa looting led some Oregonians to ignore wildfire evacuation orders

Orange skies and falling ash weren't enough to convince some Oregonians to evacuate as wildfires closed in.

In Molalla, Oregon, not far outside of Portland, rumors were spreading that left-wing activists and antifa were intentionally setting fires and looting evacuated homes. None of that was true, but it still led some residents to ignore urgent evacuation orders and risk their lives to protect their homes, The New York Times reports.

Oregon is undergoing one of its worst and biggest wildfires in recorded history. More than 500,000 people, largely southwest of Portland, are under evacuation orders. But some of those people say they've gotten texts from friends and seen posts on Twitter and Facebook "antifa's in town," and took to dousing their lawns and preparing for potential last-minute departures, the Times reports.

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Police have seen a few robberies and cases of intentional arson in towns near the fires. But none of them have been tied to political activism, leading police departments to urge residents to "stop spreading rumors." Meanwhile more than 900,000 acres have burned across Oregon in the past week. That's more than double the acreage Oregon usually sees burn in a whole year — and a bonafide threat that demands residents leave while they still can.