Summary We’re closing today’s liveblog – thank you for following along, and please stay safe. Some key links and developments from the day: At least eight people have died and thousands have been displaced due to fires in Oregon, California and Washington. In Oregon, fire conditions not seen in three decades fueled huge blazes that have killed at least three people, destroyed at least five towns and forced the evacuation of communities from the southern border to the Portland suburbs. Oregon was forced to evacuate four prisons, leading to widespread concerns about the potential spread of Covid-19 throughout the overcrowded prison system. In Washington state, a one-year-old boy died after his family was apparently overrun by flames trying to flee a wildfire. In northern California’s Butte county, where the town of Paradise was devastated by the deadly Camp fire in 2018, at least three people have died and 12 are missing amid the North Complex fire. A dense smoke layer from dozens of raging wildfires darkened the skies and fouled the air along much of the west coast on Thursday and was expected to hover in the region at least through the weekend. Terrible air quality led to the closure of Covid-19 testing sites in Los Angeles. Misinformation about the source of the wildfires is spreading rapidly on social media, prompting public officials to plead with the public to stop sharing rumors. Six of the 20 largest wildfires recorded in the history of California have now occurred in 2020. The wildfires could ignite a financial crisis by damaging home values, state tourism and local government budgets, an advisory panel to a US markets regulator found. The Oregon prison system is evacuating more than 1,300 people from the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville, spokespeople have now confirmed: Dense smoke layer expected to hover through weekend A dense smoke layer from dozens of raging wildfires darkened the skies and fouled the air along much of the west coast on Thursday and was expected to hover in the region at least through the weekend, the AP reports. Eerie orange and red skies across California, Oregon and Washington had mainly turned gray thanks to stronger winds coming in from the Pacific Ocean that helped to disperse thick smoke, which had acted as a filter, scattering blue light and only allowing yellow, orange and red light to reach the ground. : In the San Francisco Bay Area, conditions were expected to linger at least through Friday. The smoke was still blocking out so much sunlight that a forecast for Bay Area temperatures to climb to 90F (32C) instead dipped to 60F (15.5C). Air quality warnings also were issued throughout the Pacific north-west, and people in communities from southern Oregon to north of Seattle reported hazy skies and choking smoke. In Los Angeles, smoky air led to the closure of six Covid-19 test sites. Winds could soon send the smoke to Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, the AP said. Oregon evacuations double: 80,000 now displaced More than 80,000 Oregon residents have now evacuated due to fires, according to the governor, who hours earlier had estimated that roughly 40,000 were evacuated. The fires have burned more than 900,000 acres in the state so far this week. Brown noted that over the last decade, an average of 500,000 acres total have burned in an entire year. Oregon evacuating a fourth prison Oregon officials are now evacuating a fourth prison due to wildfires, with a transfer that could further spread coronavirus within the state’s incarcerated population. The Oregon department of corrections is evacuating the Coffee Creek correctional facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville, 15 miles south of Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting confirmed this afternoon. CCCF is a women’s prison that also functions as the state’s “intake center”, meaning it’s a transportation hub between facilities. The CCCF population is being moved to Deer Ridge prison near Madras. The state’s Covid-19 data says that as of Tuesday, CCCF has two positive coronavirus cases among staff and that 11 prisoners are in quarantine due to Covid concerns. At Deer Ridge prison, the data says there are two Covid tests pending and that 67 prisoners are currently in quarantine. While the status of Covid concerns at each facility are unclear, there are widespread concerns that any mixing of the populations could further spread the virus, as was the concern with the first three facilities evacuated into one overcrowded prison. Spokespeople for the prisons have not responded to the Guardian’s inquiries about the latest evacuation. Washington state fires have burned 937 sq miles Washington state’s governor, Jay Inslee, said today that the fires in the state have burned nearly 937 sq miles (2,426km). “We’ve had this trauma all over Washington,” Inslee said, KHQ-TV reported. The governor was touring the farm town of Malden, which is 35 miles south of Spokane: “But this is the place where the whole heart of the town was torn out.” Malden’s mayor, Chris Ferrell, said residents only had minutes to evacuate, but said no one was killed or seriously injured. More than 80% of the homes in Malden were destroyed by the flames, according to the AP. Devastation in Phoenix, Oregon: "I don"t know how we"ll recover" Stunned residents of the small Oregon town of Phoenix walked through a scene of devastation Thursday after one of the state’s many wildfires wiped out much of their community, including a mobile home park, houses and businesses, the AP reports on the ground. After spending the night in their cars in a Home Depot parking lot, a stream of people walked into what was left of the town that hugs Interstate 5 near the California border. They hauled wagons and carried backpacks and bags to salvage whatever they could. Jonathan Weir defied evacuation orders as flames 30ft (9 meters) high shot from the trees. He drove his car to the entrance of a nearby mobile home park, where his tires began melting. His home was destroyed as the fire hopscotched through the town of 4,000 residents. He told the AP: There were flames across the street from me, flames to the right of me, flames to the left of me. I just watched everything burn.” Jerry Walker fled in his pajamas and only had time to grab some cash. He did not know if his apartment complex survived. “I’ve never seen devastation like this ever in my life. I don’t know how we’re going on to recover.” For more from Phoenix, follow Noelle Crombie, an Oregonian reporter at the scene: Some Covid-19 test sites in LA closed due to air quality Here’s another way that the wildfire crisis is impeding the coronavirus response in California, which continues to battle the spread of Covid-19: due to unhealthy air quality from the fires, Los Angeles county was forced to shut down six testing sites today and tomorrow. The county says residents with tests can sign up for new appointments. The smoke affecting these sites comes from the – the El Dorado fire burning in the San Bernardino mountains, and the Bobcat fire burning north of Azusa and Glendora in the Angeles national forest. At least eight dead in fires The death toll from the fires in California, Oregon and Washington this week is now at least eight, according to authorities, who warn that the fatalities are expected to increase. In northern California, authorities confirmed that the Bear fire had killed three people, and that another twelve were missing. Few details have emerged about these victims. Just south of Oregon, the Siskiyou county sheriff’s also confirmed that one person was killed as a result of the Slater fire, which destroyed or damaged more than 150 homes. Information was not released about this victim. In Washington state, a one-year-old boy died in the Cold Springs fire and his parents suffered severe burns, authorities reported. Jacob Hyland, 31, and Jamie Hyland, 26, of Renton, Washington, were found with their baby on the bank of the Columbia river, authorities said. They had abandoned their car. The family now has a fundraiser. And in Oregon, 12-year-old Wyatt Tofte and his grandmother Peggy Mosso were found dead after the Santiam fire burned through Marion county. A local family-owned theme park called the Enchanted Forest shared the news, noting that Tofte was the great-grandson of the park’s founder. In southwestern Oregon, the Almeda fire also claimed at least one victim, whose remains were found in Ashland. Authorities said a criminal investigation was underway in this fire. Details about this individual have not been released. More than 900,000 acres burned in Oregon, governor says Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, has reported that in the last several days the fires have burned nearly double the amount of land that burns in an average year. Brown told reporters that more than 900,000 acres have burned so far, and up to 40,000 people were evacuated. The governor did not have an update on fatalities, but at least three have been reported so far in the state. “We have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across the state,” Brown said. As of this morning, the state’s five largest fires were more than 100,000 acres each and collectively were only 1% contained, the Oregonian reported. Brown warned that windy and hot conditions are continuing today to impede the firefighting response.