The wildfires raging in more than a dozen western United States (U.S.) states have painted the sky and polluted the air, causing disturbing scenes to unfold in front of millions of people.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, locals woke to an apocalyptic, orange-tinged sky Wednesday.

More than 90 major fires have burnt an area of land about the size of Connecticut.

Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze,…
Flames lick above vehicles on Highway 162 as the Bear Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The blaze,…

“It’s after 9 a.m. and there’s still no sign of the sun,” the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate division tweeted, urging drivers to turn on their headlights and slow down.

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Vehicles destroyed by a wildfire are shown Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Maldin, Wash. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)
Vehicles destroyed by a wildfire are shown Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Maldin, Wash. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

Air quality warnings were issued throughout the Pacific Northwest, and people in communities from southern Oregon to north of Seattle have experienced choking smoke.

Here are photos and videos showing the nightmarish conditions that the fires are causing in states including California, Oregon and Washington:

Orange fog over Bay Area caused by wildfire smoke. Photograph: Casey Flanigan/imageSPACE/REX/Shutterstock
Orange fog over Bay Area caused by wildfire smoke.
Photograph: Casey Flanigan/imageSPACE/REX/Shutterstock
The San Francisco Bay Bridge is seen under an orange smoke-filled sky. Photograph: Brittany Hosea-Small/AFP/Getty Image
The San Francisco Bay Bridge is seen under an orange smoke-filled sky.
Photograph: Brittany Hosea-Small/AFP/Getty Image




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