Dozens Missing as Firefighters Battle 2 Large Oregon Fires

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters aided by helicopters dropping fire retardant and water are battling two large wildfires that threaten to merge near the most populated part of Oregon.

Gov. Kate Brown told a news conference Friday that dozens of people are missing in Jackson County in the south and in Marion County, where a fire continues to burn east of Salem.

The Oregon Convention Center in Portland was among buildings being transformed into shelters for evacuees.

A change in the weather, with winds dropping and shifting direction and humidity rising, greatly helped firefighters.