Oregon declared a state of emergency due to a severe heatwave that came weeks after an earlier heat wave and a series of devastating fires.“Oregon is facing another extreme heatwave, and it is imperative that government agencies have the resources to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy,” Oregon Governor Kate Brown said in a statement .“I encourage Oregonians to take proactive steps to keep themselves and their families safe, including drinking plenty of fluids and staying cool,” she added.The state of emergency began on Tuesday and will continue until next Friday, August 20, while the National Weather Service issued warnings of high temperatures in many counties in the state, and temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.During the heatwave that hit Oregon last June, temperatures in areas such as Portland reached about 47 degrees Celsius, according to The Hill , and this wave led to several deaths, especially among the elderly.In late July, state authorities called firefighting crews from California and Utah to Montana to extinguish the huge Bootleg Fire, and Oregon faced a series of fires that destroyed large areas of farmland and homes.The Bootleg fire burned more than 1,500 square kilometers of forest and is so large that its smoke can be seen from space, according to the Business Insider .
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