Western wildfires kill more than two dozen, force millions to evacuate as smoke chokes skies

Raging wildfires engulfed much of the West Coast from California to Oregon on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes and millions more to stay indoors to avoid the choking pollution of heavy smoke.

At least 28 deaths have been reported since the outbreak in August and officials braced to find more victims in the charred rubble.

Slightly cooler, moister air was the only good news for weary firefighters and frightened residents as the weekend started but rapidly declining air quality complicated matters even more. Air quality in Salem, Ore. hit 512 on an index of 500, some of the worst smoke pollution ever recorded. In California, many skies were glazed with an orange haze as the sun filtered through heavy smoke.

“Above 500 is literally off the charts,” Laura Gleim, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, told The Associated Press.

The devastating fires also engulfed the campaign trail, where President Trump made plans to travel West on Monday to survey the damage and offer comfort while Democrat Joe Biden connected the fires to climate change concerns.

“We absolutely must act now to avoid a future defined by an unending barrage of tragedies like the one American families are enduring across the West today,” Biden said.