California governor warns about climate crisis as new wildfire evacuations ordered north-east of Los Angeles

As wildfires continued to burn across the US west coast, with smoke reaching as far as Europe, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a stark warning on climate, saying: “The facts are the facts.”

Forecast rain for the Pacific north-west prompted hopes on Thursday of improved fire-fighting conditions in Washington state and Oregon, parts of which have been decimated and swathed in the world’s worst air quality.

At least 35 people have died and hundreds of structures have burned in serious wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington. Democratic governors of all three states say the fires are a consequence of climate change

• Dozens still missing and tens of thousands forced to flee
• Lighter winds and rising humidity help firefighters’ efforts

Fire crews in California and Oregon reported making progress on several blazes over the weekend, as lighter winds and lower temperatures aided the battle against the massive fires raging across the west.

But officials in both states told residents to brace for bad news, as rescue teams start combing through towns and neighborhoods leveled by the infernos.

• Unprecedented fire conditions burn more than 900,000 acres
• Firefighting resources are stretched thin in three states

More than 500,000 people in Oregon have been forced to evacuate as unprecedented wildfires rage across the state, amounting to more than 10% of the population, authorities said Thursday.

Wildfires searing through the American west have killed at least 15 people, leveled entire neighborhoods and forced stretched firefighting crews to make tough decisions about where to deploy.