After five days of enormous wildfires consuming the landscape up and down western Oregon, officials count more than 1 million acres burned and tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes. Countless homes and businesses have been scorched, even as dry, hot weather that fueled the fires earlier in the week appears to be moderating.
Dozens of people remain unaccounted for in parts of the state, and at least six deaths had been confirmed due to the wildfires by late Friday. In some parts of the state, as much one-third of electricity consumers remain without power.
Poor air quality from the wildfire smoke is affecting much of the state — with Portland earning the unpleasant ranking as the major city with the worst air quality in the world. But smaller Oregon cities are enduring even worse air quality.
These online tools offer up-to-the-minute emergency information on wildfires, evacuations and air quality in the Pacific Northwest:
- Northwest fires, Oregon evacuations: Oregon’s RAPTOR Map shows wildfires across the U.S. West and evacuation zones within the state. Enter an address to quickly zoom in on a specific location. It’s slow to load, so prepare for a brief wait before the map appears.
- Major Oregon and Washington fires: The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates firefighters across the region, shares this map of major fires in the Pacific Northwest
- Air Quality Index: Enter a zip code, town or address for the latest local air quality readings.
- BlueSky Canada has an interactive map showing wildfire smoke forecasts across the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon and Washington.
- Here are some practical tips — including a packing list — on how to prepare for a wildfire evacuation.
- PublicAlerts.org provides links to sign up for emergency phone and email alerts across the Portland-Vancouver metro area. Scroll to find your local jurisdiction.
- Outside the greater Portland metro area, alerts are handled by local governments. Search “Emergency Alerts” and your county’s name to find a link.
