Scores of wildfires scorch U.S. West Coast, killing at least nine

A view of the area along Geary and O'Farrell Streets as an orange wildfire haze blankets San Francisco, California, U.S., September 9, 2020 in this image obtained from social media. Courtesy of Adrianna Tan via REUTERS

TALENT, Ore./EAGLE POINT, Ore. (Reuters) - Dozens of extreme, wind-driven wildfires burned through forests and towns in U.S. West Coast states on Thursday, destroying hundreds of homes, killing at least nine people and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee, authorities said.

Over the past 48 hours, four people died from fires in California, while four were killed in Oregon and a 1-year-old boy died in Washington state, police reported.