500 000 people flee wildfires

DEADLY wildfires in heavily populated northwest Oregon were growing, with hundreds of thousands of people told to flee while residents to the south tearfully assessed their losses.

People evacuated statewide because of fires had climbed to an estimated 500 000 — more than 10% of the 4.2 million people in the state, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management reported late onThursday.

One fire approached Molalla, triggering a mandatory evacuation order for the community of about 9 000 people located 48km south of Portland.

A police car rolled through the streets with a loudspeaker blaring “evacuate now”.

Oregon officials haven’t released an exact death count for the wildfires.

Govenor Kate Brown said more than 364 000 hectares — greater than the size of Rhode Island — have burned in Oregon in the past three days.

Neighbouring Oregon and Washington also have been beseiged.

Meanwhile, a northern California wildfire that destroyed a foothill hamlet has become the state’s deadliest blaze of the year with 10 people confirmed dead — and the toll could climb as searchers look for 16 missing people.