Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Weather Helps Crews Fight Wildfires Along US West Coast

VOA News

   Calmer winds and rising humidity are helping firefighters battle more
   than 100 wildfires Saturday that continue to rage largely uncontrolled
   along the U.S. West Coast, and President Donald Trump announced he
   would visit California on Monday to see the devastation himself.

   After days of hot, windy weather, on Saturday the winds calmed and
   shifted to the west, bringing cooler, more moist weather from the ocean
   to help firefighters in California, Oregon and Washington state, where
   entire towns have been incinerated and at least 28 people killed.

   The thick smoke that hung in the air brought lower temperatures and
   higher humidity. It also brought the dirtiest air in 35 years to some
   cities, triggering health warnings and prompting officials to urge
   residents to remain indoors.

   In Salem, the state capital of Oregon, the air quality index reading
   was 512 on Saturday morning. The scale tops out at 500. Anything above
   200 is considered "very unhealthy," and anything above 300 is deemed
   "hazardous."

   In Paradise, California, a city devastated by wildfire in 2018, the
   reading was 592, according to the PurpleAir monitoring site.

   "Above 500 is literally off the charts," said Laura Gleim, a
   spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

   Thick smoke and haze blanketed much of the region, triggering health
   warnings and prompting officials to urge residents to remain indoors.

.