Environment

Oregon's Wildfire Season Erupts Early and Angrily

The state's vegetation is as dry as if it was already July.

An air tanker dropping retardant on fires near Bend this Saturday.Jim Hansen/Central Oregon Fire Management Service

Have a confidential tip for our reporters? Get in Touch

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

June 10, 2014 at 10:25 AM EDT

Visitors this past weekend to Oregon's Bend metropolitan area, population roughly 170,000, might've thought a military plane accidentally dropped a small nuclear device. Wildfires erupted with ferocity around the parched land, prompting mushrooming columns of smoke like this:

Have a confidential tip for our reporters? Get in Touch

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal

LEARN MORE