The known death toll from fires raging along the West Coast climbed to more than two dozen on Saturday, per AP, as officials in Oregon warned of a "mass fatality event."
The state of play: At least six deaths were reported in Oregon, 20 in California, and one in Washington state, but the death tolls are expected to rise sharply in coming days.
- It's unclear if the 20 deaths reported by Cal Fire included one that was retracted Friday by local media. The report concerned a burned anatomical skeleton used for academic purposes was mistaken for human remains.
- In Oregon, emergency management director Andrew Phelps said the state was "preparing for a mass fatality event." Phelps told MSNBC, "There are going to be a number of fatalities, folks who just couldn't get warning in time and evacuate their homes and get to safety."
The big picture: Ninety-seven large fires have burned millions of acres across the western part of the U.S., per USA TODAY.
- Evacuation orders were in place in six states including, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Idaho and Utah.
- Rescue workers and firefighters, meanwhile, are searching for dozens of missing people in California and Oregon.
- President Trump, who was criticized for remaining silent on the fires for at least three weeks, plans to visit California on Monday.
- Officials along the West Coast have urged people to stay in doors as smoke from the fires continue to choke the region.
Los Angeles County firefighters, using only hand tools, keep fire from jumping a fire break at the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest, north of Monrovia, California. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
The Bobcat Fire burns through the Angeles National Forest, north of Monrovia, California. Photo: David McNew/Getty Images
A aerial view of the destruction from a wildfire that swept through Talent, Oregon. Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images
The sun sets through wildfire smoke in Seattle, Washington. Photo: Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images
