There are no words to describe the devastation and loss I saw as I toured the towns of Phoenix and Talent, Oregon. Lives were shattered as deadly fires merged to incinerate thousands of homes and apartments.

Elsewhere in the state, massive fires burning nearly three acres per second laid waste to forested communities. And for the towns that were lucky enough to avoid the fires themselves, residents choked on the toxic smoke these fires produced, as we endured the worst air quality in the world all across the Northwest.