The Most Apocalyptic Photos From the West Coast Fires This Week

The West Coast is burning, and it’s still not under control. There are now three states—California, Washington state and Oregon—battling raging wildfires, which have left a trail of destruction in their wake and, in some cases, have literally changed the color of the sky.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate in these areas, and there have been at least 15 deaths so far, with that number unfortunately expected to rise in the coming days. The fires are being fueled by factors such as record-breaking heat waves, drought and, of course, climate change. Some West Coast leaders, in fact, have suggested that we shouldn’t use the term “wildfires” to describe the crises, but rather “climate fires.”

Sometimes you have to see things to believe them. That said, in case you needed another reason to take climate change seriously, here it is.