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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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Dramatic footage has emerged showing wildfires across Oregon, with evacuation alerts being issued for a number of areas.
East of La Pine, residents of Westfir, Oakridge and the High Prairies have been evacuated, to keep them safe from the rapidly expanding Cedar Creek fire.
The blaze, currently the fastest growing in Oregon, had nearly doubled in size since Wednesday, according to local news site Oregon Live. It is being battled by more than 800 firefighters and other emergency workers, assisted by seven helicopters.
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Across Oregon, nearly 230,000 acres had been burned as of Friday.
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The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center tweeted aerial video of the Cedar Creek fire, which has been raging since August 1. Footage shows the fire making its way through a forest, with a line of trees ablaze and thick smoke behind.
Nina Turner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, shared the footage to her nearly 560,000 Twitter followers.
She added: "Oregon is on fire. California is experiencing a heatwave. The climate crisis is real. Inaction is unacceptable."
Another video was shared on Twitter by Lynn Schore, showing a hillside on fire in the state.
They added: "New fire in southern Oregon: The #VanMeterFire in #KlamathFalls, Oregon is growing, had no crew on it at last check."
As of Friday, the Van Meter Fire was zero percent contained. It is being fought by 350 firefighters according to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).
In its daily update on Friday, the National Interagency Fire Center said 96 large fires and complexes had burned 690,030 acres in eight states. Most of the fires were in the Northwest, Great Basin and Northern Rockies areas.
"Twenty five new large fires were reported, ten in Idaho, six in Montana, four in Washington, two in California and one each in Florida, Nevada and Oregon. More than 17,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents," it said.
More footage was posted on Twitter by Taylor, a 24-year-old Twitch streamer. Her video showed hills with a smoke-filled sky above, created by a wildfire, which merged with sunlight to produce a yellow haze.
The ODF warned about the gravity of the situation in a statement on their Facebook page. The agency said: "Winds have been steadily increasing throughout the state as the predicted weather event continues to intensify.
"Hot, dry conditions with strong east winds at the height of fire season make it easy for fires to start and spread quickly. Almost exactly two years ago, a similar weather event started on Labor Day, and the resulting fires devastated communities across the state.
"Statewide, Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters are standing ready to do what they do best: find fires early, get to them quickly and keep them small. Success in limiting acres burned and people impacted by wildfires requires being proactive and prepared."
Mike Shaw, the ODF's chief of fire protection, added: "I can assure you that ODF absolutely understands the seriousness of the current situation and have been actively preparing for more than a week now.
"We'll do everything in our power to protect Oregonians and our state's natural resources."
A National Weather Service Red Flag warning remains in place for much of Oregon, with high winds and low humidity producing the perfect conditions for wild fires.
On Friday Portland General Electric and Pacific Power warned 40,000 households to expect power shutoffs due to wildfires.
A number of wildfires are continuing to burn across California, with a state of emergency declared in three counties.
The West coast has been hit by a heatwave that sparked fears of rolling blackouts in California as power demand surged.
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