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US wildfires: Firefighters continue to battle blazes in Oregon
Image source, Getty Images
Firefighters in Oregon are continuing to fight huge blazes in the US state.
Oregon, along with California and Washington, have seen extreme heatwaves in recent times, which provides ideal conditions for wildfires to spread.
The state's governor Kate Brown has said that 40,000 people have had to evacuate their homes, while half a million others are currently under some form of evacuation order.
Some residents have been reported as missing, while their have been at least four people killed.
Image source, Getty Images
Lots of buildings have been turned into shelters for people who have had to leave their homes, including The Oregon Convention Centre in Portland, which is the state's largest city.
Changes to the weather have caused winds to drop and change direction, and there has also been an increase in the air's moisture levels. The new conditions have been welcomed by firefighters who have been trying to stop the flames from reaching areas where more people live.
"The wind laid down quite a bit for us yesterday. There also wasn't that strong eastern wind that was pushing the fire more to the west," said Stefan Myers from the state's fire information team.
Image source, Getty Images
He also said that winds coming from the Pacific Ocean had stopped the fires' from advancing and had even pushed them back.
However, there has been lots damage to the land. Governor Kate Brown has confirmed that more than one million acres has been scorched in the state as a result of the fires.