Oregon's wildfires force mass evacuations as shifting weather offers glimmer of hope

A haze from wildfire smoke lingers over the gutted Medford Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of the Almeda fire in Medford, Oregon, U.S., September 10, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - An unprecedented spate of deadly wildfires raging across Oregon kept half a million people under evacuation alert on Friday even as weary firefighters took advantage of improved weather to go on the offensive against the blazes.

The fires have destroyed thousands of homes in days, making Oregon the latest epicenter in a larger summer outbreak of fires sweeping the western United States, collectively scorching a landscape the size of New Jersey and killing at least 25 people.