Firefighters attempting to put out wildfires

DoSomething About the West Coast Wildfires: What’s Happening and How You Can Help

Where Are the Fires Happening?

According to the USDA Forest Service, there are large, active fires raging in California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado.

The largest fires are happening in California, including the 795,000 acre August Complex Fire (which is now the largest fire in the state’s history).

What Has Been the Impact of the Fires?

So far, 35 lives have been lost in the fires (24 in California, 10 in Oregon, and one in Washington state), but the death toll is likely to increase as the fires spread and emergency responders continue to search through their wreckage. Several others are currently missing, as hundreds of thousands of Oregon and California residents have been forced to evacuate.

Millions of acres of land have been burned across multiple states, destroying entire towns and heavily impacting communities already struggling under the current health crisis. Other areas, while not actively burning, are facing some of the worst air quality in the world as a result of the blazes.

What Caused the Fires?

While wildfires are a regular part of many western state’s ecosystems, these fires are unprecedented, breaking records in their size, speed, and impact.
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According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, “shifting climate patterns”, including higher temperatures, longer periods of dry air and vegetation, serious droughts, and fierce winds have contributed to the fires’ intensity. Climate change makes conditions ideal for a fire to catch and spread, so then it takes just the smallest human sources to ignite them.

For example, a firework involved in a gender-reveal party sparked one of the blazes in California. Causes for other fires could include things like downed power lines, discarded cigarette butts, or sparking machinery.

How Can I Help?

Donate to disaster response and relief efforts. Consider a donation to an organization like the California Fire Foundation, GlobalGiving’s Wildfire Relief Fund, the California Community Fund, or the Oregon Community Fund.
Donate to a food bank. Use this update from the California Association of Food Banks to learn more about what these providers need as they continue to serve folks displaced by the fires.
Help a displaced animal. Provide a temporary home or transportation to an animal caught in the fires through Volunteers for the Emergency Management of Animals.
Take action against climate change. Sign up for climate advocate training, phone banking, and community organizing through Sunrise Movement.

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