Shocking Photos Show The Hellish Scenes From The West Coast Wildfires
As large swaths of the West Coast burn in unprecedented wildfires, the skies have turned red.
Huge swaths of the West Coast have been blanketed by choking smoke and an eerie orange cast as an unprecedented wildfire season that started early ferociously consumes millions of acres across several states.
California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Arizona are currently under "critical" and "elevated" risk of fire weather, according to the National Weather Service.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and entire landscapes have been destroyed. Smoke and flames from fires across the region have swallowed the blue sky, with the air quality in some areas reaching hazardous levels.
Here's what the West Coast looks like amid this year's wildfire season.
A boat motors by as the Bidwell Bar Bridge over Lake Oroville is surrounded by the Bear fire in Oroville, California, Sept. 9, 2020.
Butte County firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck during the Bear fire in Oroville, California, Sept. 9, 2020.
Under darkened skies from wildfire smoke, a man crosses Hyde Street with Alcatraz Island and Fisherman's Wharf in the background, Sept. 9, 2020, in San Francisco.
Residents evacuate Marcola, Oregon, as a wildfire burns to the south along the McKenzie River, Sept. 8, 2020.
A family arrives with their two dogs and other belongings at an evacuation center set up at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, Sept. 8, 2020.
The skyline in the distance behind Crissy Field is barely visible with smoke from wildfires Sept. 9, 2020, in San Francisco.
High winds and multiple wildfires cause poor air quality and low visibility in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
Under darkened skies from wildfire smoke, a waiter carries a tray of coffee to people having lunch at the Buena Vista Cafe, Sept. 9, 2020, in San Francisco.
A person walks in Bush's Pasture Park as high winds and multiple wildfires cause poor air quality and low visibility in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
Inmates are moved from Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
Brock Bowers attempts to fly a drone in high winds in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
Cars drive along Ygnacio Valley Road below an orange sky filled with wildfire smoke in Concord, California on September 9, 2020.
Under a smoke-filled sky, volunteer Shawn Daley directs traffic to the parking lot of an evacuation center at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, which was crowded with hundreds of cars, pickup trucks, and campers of evacuees, in Salem, Sept. 8, 2020.
Jennifer Steckler walks two horses along state Highway 226 in Lyons, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020. Steckler had walked them for more than 2 miles during an evacuation from the Santiam fire.
People walk under a red sky in Salem, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
People walk by the Pacific Ocean coast as smoke from wildfires covers an area near Seal Rock, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
Patrick Kenefick, left, and Dana Williams, both of Mill Valley, Calif., record the darkened Golden Gate Bridge covered with smoke from wildfires, Sept. 9, 2020, from a pier at Fort Baker near Sausalito, Calif. The photo was taken at 9:47 a.m. in the morning.
The Cold Springs Canyon and Pearl Hill fires encroach on Wells Dam near Azwell, Washington, Sept. 7, 2020.
Butte County firefighters watch as flames tower over their truck at the Bear fire in Oroville, California, Sept. 9, 2020.
Smoke and ash fill the air near Aumsville, Oregon, Sept. 8, 2020.
A local man runs a tractor to carve out an impromptu fire line as the Pearl Hill fire moves closer, near Mansfield, Washington, Sept. 8, 2020.
In downtown Malden, Washington, the former post office (lower left) and another historic building (lower right) smolder the day after a fast-moving wildfire swept through the tiny town, Sept. 8, 2020.
Shawn Thornton hugs his wife, Shannon Thornton, next to the rubble of their burned home in Malden, Washington, Sept. 8, 2020, the day after a fast-moving wildfire swept through the tiny town. Shawn and Shannon weren't home at the time, but their son Cody was and managed to get their dog and a few belongings before leaving just minutes before the flames swept through.
A sign reading "Malden Town Hall" lies in the ashes of the former library and city hall building in Malden, Washington, Sept. 8, 2020.
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Clarissa-Jan Lim is a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. She is based in New York.
Contact Clarissa-Jan Lim at clarissa.jan.lim@buzzfeed.com.
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Kate Bubacz is the Photo Director for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Kate Bubacz at kate.bubacz@buzzfeed.com.
