Two children are among seven killed in the wildfires in the Western U.S. which is now consuming hundreds of thousands of acres across California, Oregon, and Washington State. Reuters reports:
“In the past 48 hours, three people died from a lightning-sparked fire in northern California while three were reported dead in Oregon and a one-year-old boy died as his family tried to escape a blaze in Washington state, local police reported.”
“A 12-year-old boy was found dead with his dog inside a burned car and his grandmother was believed to be dead after flames engulfed their area near Lyons, Oregon, west of Detroit, about 50 miles south of Portland, Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.”
Oregon Governor Kate Brown commented, “This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in our state’s history.” With the NBC affiliate in Portland adding that this is “the worst collection of fires at one time in Oregon in the last 120 years.”
Brown is among requesting federal assistance.
The number and scale of fires burning in Oregon is unprecedented, and Oregonians who are suffering need immediate relief. I’m leading the congressional delegation in pushing for the federal assistance that we need to manage and recover from this crisis. https://t.co/OAfqAfcywx
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 9, 2020
But so far help hasn’t come. The CBS affiliate in San Francisco points out:
Trump as of Thursday morning has yet to offer any public statement of support amid historic wildfires spreading in California and the Pacific Northwest — even though he vowed federal intervention in those states earlier this summer amid racial unrest.
More than 4,200 square miles, the size of 14 New York Cities, are burning across 13 states, destroying homes and claiming lives.
Trump's had 15 public appearances in the last week.
He's tweeted 35+ times already today.
Not one mention of the wildfires or the #climatecrisis.
— DJ Koessler (@DJKoessler) September 10, 2020
Watch more above from CBS This Morning.
