Arson investigators have opened a probe into the suspicious origins of a deadly Oregon wildfire that began in the town of Ashland and destroyed hundreds of homes in nearby communities, Ashland's police chief said on Thursday.
ASHLAND, Ore. - Arson investigators have opened a probe into the suspicious origins of a deadly Oregon wildfire that began in the town of Ashland and destroyed hundreds of homes in nearby communities, Ashland’s police chief said on Thursday.
“We tried to get people out as fast as we could,” O’Meara told Reuters by phone. “Chances are there are going to be bodies in some of those homes. The likelihood of much larger numbers is significant.” He cited local news media estimates that roughly 600 homes were destroyed but added, “easily hundreds of homes were lost.”
The area was off-limits to evacuees, but here and there individuals and couples were seen trudging along the roadway with arm loads of belongings they apparently had managed to salvage from the wreckage of their homes. “Every fire is investigated for the possibility of arson so that we can either determine it is or rule it out,” he said.
The Almeda fire was one of the most devastating of dozens of conflagrations that have burned through forests and communities across the western United States during the past few days, killing a total of at least nine people in northern California, Oregon and Washington state.
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Arson probe opened into deadly Oregon wildfire: police chiefArson investigators have opened a probe into the suspicious origins of a deadly Oregon wildfire that began in the town of Ashland and destroyed hundreds of homes in nearby communities, Ashland's police chief said on Thursday.
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‘Unprecedented’ Wildfires Burn Through Parts Of Oregon As Thousands Forced To Evacuate Along West CoastI am a breaking news reporter for Forbes in London, covering Europe and the U.S. Previously I was a news reporter for HuffPost UK, the Press Association and a night reporter at the Guardian. I studied Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics, where I was a writer and editor for one of the university’s global affairs magazines, the London Globalist. That led me to Goldsmiths, University of London, where I completed my M.A. in Journalism. Got a story? Get in touch at isabel.togohforbes.com, or follow me on Twitter bissieness. I look forward to hearing from you.
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‘Unprecedented’ Wildfires Burn Through Parts Of Oregon As Thousands Forced To Evacuate Along West CoastI am a breaking news reporter for Forbes in London, covering Europe and the U.S. Previously I was a news reporter for HuffPost UK, the Press Association and a night reporter at the Guardian. I studied Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics, where I was a writer and editor for one of the university’s global affairs magazines, the London Globalist. That led me to Goldsmiths, University of London, where I completed my M.A. in Journalism. Got a story? Get in touch at isabel.togohforbes.com, or follow me on Twitter bissieness. I look forward to hearing from you.
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