SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A layer of smoke blanketed much of Oregon as a heat wave sent temperatures soaring to dangerous levels.
Temperatures were reaching 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.56 Celsius) on Thursday, according to the National weather Service. In the Central Oregon town of Bend, temperatures were 20 degrees above average for this time of year.
Gov. Kate Brown said 11 large fires are burning in Oregon. The smoke smudged the skies in the Willamette Valley and made the snowcapped peaks of the Cascade Range barely visible. Fire season starts earlier every year, and Brown blamed that and the heat wave on climate change. She vowed to do everything she can to reduce use of fossil fuels, which contributes to global warming.
Brown said that like many Oregonians, she has been feeling the heat, with no air conditioning in her private home and only one room in the governor’s mansion having AC.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.