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Raging wildfires destroy a Washington town

Uncontrolled wildfires driven by high winds and unprecedented temperatures incinerated the town of Malden in Washington state on Tuesday (September 8) -- and are now threatening more communities across Oregon and California.

Firefighters and emergency responders searched on Tuesday for residents of the tiny town, about 300 miles (480 km) east of Seattle, a day after a firestorm destroyed 80% of Malden's homes, along with the fire station, post office, city hall and library.

Authorities went door-to-door ordering evacuations before the blaze arrived on Sunday, fueled by winds of 40 miles per hour, engulfing most of the town over the course of about three hours.

It's one of dozens of blazes now raging across the west coast.

On Tuesday California Governor Gavin Newsom said a historic 2.3 million acres have burned so far.

"I quite literally have no patience for climate change deniers. It simply follows completely inconsistent that point of view with the reality on the ground, the facts as we are experiencing. You may not believe it intellectually, but your own eyes, your own experiences tell a different story, particularly out here in the West Coast of the United States."

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Tuesday some 14,000 firefighters have battled over two dozen blazes in California since the fire season got off to an early and deadly start last month, a record for this point in the year.

The state's peak fire season -- has yet to begin.

On Tuesday Newsom also praised the firefighters who led the rescue of over 200 people vacationing at a popular reservoir, evacuated from the Creek Fire in the Fresno area of central California.

Meanwhile, over a dozen firefighters found their own lives at risk while battling another blaze in the Los Padres National Forest.

Several were reportedly seriously injured.