Actor and comedian Jim Belushi’s beloved Oregon cannabis farm is under threat from raging west coast wildfires, with the cannabis crusader saying that the blaze is just three miles away.
Crews on the west coast are battling forest fires that have killed at least 35 people, destroyed neighbourhoods and enveloped the West Coast in smoke. At least 10 people have been killed in Oregon. Officials have said more people are missing, and the number of fatalities is likely to rise, though they have not said how high the toll could go as they search. In California, 24 people have died, and one person was killed in Washington state.
Belushi said that they were “devastated” and posted photos of flames on nearby mountains and of a helicopter hovering in the smoke.
“This is the scene in the surrounding areas of our farm,” said text posted with the photo, urging people to pray. “This is terrifying.”
Another social media post from Sunday said: “Hard to think about anything else. Hard to post about anything else. We’re just devastated.” A further comment said: “For those asking, our farm has not burnt down thank you for your concerns but our community is not as fortunate.”
The farm is located in Eagle Point, Oregon, near the Rogue River. It was just featured in a three-part reality show on Discovery Channel.
One photo posted by the Belushi organization showed a farm worker operating a hose.
Meanwhile, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said about 500,000 acres typically burn each year, but just in the past week, flames have swallowed over a million acres, pointing to long-term drought and recent wild weather swings in the state.
Firefighter Steve McAdoo, who has run from one blaze to another in Oregon for six days, said his neighbours in rural areas outside Portland should clear trees near their homes because a week like they just survived could happen again.
With files from the Associated Press