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'Unprecedented' Wildfires Leave Trail of Devastation in Marion County

Several buildings were reportedly destroyed in wildfires that swept through the region surrounding Mill City, Oregon, on Tuesday, September 8.

Local media quoted Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron as saying that a “fire storm” had hit areas north of the Santiam River.

The Beachie Creek fire forced the evacuation of Mill City and other parts of Marion County early on the Tuesday morning, while inmates from three prisons were also relocated due the blazes. A state of emergency was declared in the county.

Some 20 fires covering more than 467,000 acres were burning in Oregon and Washington on September 8, according to the Forest Service. Oregon Governor Kate Brown called the blazes an “unprecedented fire event” that would place lives at risk.

This footage was captured by Virgil McCurdy, who said the videos were filmed on the Tuesday afternoon in the area surrounding Mill City, Lyons and Mahama in Marion County. Several structures can be seen destroyed in the footage. Credit: Virgil McCurdy via Storyful