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Officials Shift to Recovery From Oregon Wildfires

Associated Press

   SALEM, OREGON - Oregon's wildfires have "turned a corner" as
   firefighters continue to make significant progress containing the
   flames, but Oregonians still face a long road to recovery, Governor
   Kate Brown said Wednesday.

   Officials are hopeful that rain, which is expected during the next
   three days, will help in the fight against the remaining seven large
   blazes in Oregon.

   "A little over two weeks ago, we faced unseasonably dry, windy and hot
   weather conditions -- what developed in the days to follow was an
   all-encompassing fire event, unlike Oregon has ever seen," Brown said
   during an update on the situation Wednesday.

   Nine people have died from the wildfires and five remain missing.

   Enormous damage

   Approximately 1,500 square miles (3,880 square kilometers) have burned
   in Oregon. Officials say, prior to this year, the average of land
   burned each year in Oregon for the last 10 years was roughly half that.

   Doug Grafe, the chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of
   Forestry, announced that the wildfires have cost $78 million so far,
   and by the end of the season could reach $100 million.

   Firefighters and response resources have been provided from 47 states,
   Grafe said.

   "That's an incredible number," said Andrew Phelps, the director of the
   Oregon Office of Emergency Management. "I don't know if I can recall a
   disaster in our nation's history that has seen a response equal to
   that."

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