At least fifteen people were killed and hundreds of thousands evacuated as wildfires continue to impact US West Coast states on Thursday.-//

In the state of Oregon, nearly 500,000 people, which is about an eighth of the state's population, were given evacuation orders. 

Fanned by unusually hot, dry winds, dozens of infernos are sweeping the state, and at least one is being treated as suspected arson.

Authorities found seven bodies in Northern California on Thursday as firefighters battled multiple ravaging wildfires, raising the total number of victims in the state to 10. At least five others have been killed in Washington state and Oregon this week amid a series of out of control wildfires.

More than 1,400 square miles have burned this week in the state. Authorities say the wildfire activity was particularly acute Thursday afternoon in northwestern Oregon as hot, windy conditions continued.

Currently, the crisis is most severe in Oregon, where around 3,000 firefighters are working to douse about three dozen flames, which the state government claims have burnt 900,000 acres of land. 

In the western US, about 100 major wildfires continue to cause destruction.

Wildfires destroyed over 3.1 million acres of land in California this year, which is an overall record as six of the state's largest-ever fires occurred in 2020. 

Source: Agencies