Wildfire near Portland, Oregon destroys some homes

Hundreds of firefighters battled two large wildfires on Friday that threatened to merge near most populated part of Oregon, including suburbs of Portland.

state's emergency management director, Andrew Phelps, said officials are "preparing for a mass fatality event" and that thousands of structures have been destroyed.

A change in wear, with winds dropping and shifting direction and humidity rising, greatly helped firefighters struggling to prevent two fires from vancing farr west into more-populated areas.

Governor Kate Brown said more than 40,000 Oregonians have been evacuated and about 500,000 are in different levels of evacuation zones, eir having been told to leave or to prepare to do so.

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

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

Also Friday, authorities announced that a man h been arrested on two counts of arson for allegedly starting a fire in sourn Oregon on Tuesday.

high number of fires occurring simultaneously in span of just a few days in Oregon was fueled by dry conditions, high temperatures and especially strong, swirling winds.

Oregon officials haven't released an exact death count for wildfires, but at least eight fatalities have been reported in state.

Oregon's congressional delegation announced Friday that White House has approved state's request for an emergency declaration that will help provide immediate assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency.