. >> reporter: reed rankin is the captain of his fire department, we went with him to where his homee stood, and now it's a vacant lot of ruble and ash. >> everything that you collect in your life is right there. it's heartbreaking. >> they lost their station to the blaze. >> trees were like space ships taking off. every tree was like, whoa, whoa. it just makes you sick to your stomach. >> reporter: just 40 miles west, he has lived in orville, california, for 58 years. you experienced the campfire and this fire. this area has been battered in recent years by fires. >> yes, we have not had a fire this close though. i think this close for a long time. >> reporter: do you want to stay here? >> well, where am i going to go? everything is gone. no housing, no nothing. >> reporter: my colleague matt gutman was in oregon last week as the fires started spreading. >> reporter: i have been covering fire force half a dozen years or month, i have never seen anything like this. the sky completely orange at 11:00 in the morning. >> reporter: here, retard ant could not stop the force of the fire. >

. >> reporter: while reed rankin was rushing to evacuate his neighbors, his own home was burning. >> reporter: just living here where we wanted to be and it's just gone. it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: at least 71 major fires are burning through the west. in oregon, they're warning of a mass fatality incident with 22 people missing in the state after the flames have wiped out at least six towns. search crees and canines taking on the grim task of scouring through the rubble while residents return in utter despair. >> it's the worst thing i've ever seen in my life. it's -- i had seen videos but it's 1,000 times worse than i could have ever imagined. >> reporter: tonight, the smoke in portland, officials say no one should be outside, warning anyone who has to go out should wear an n-95, a precious commodity during the pandemic. >> children are particularly sensitive to smoke. their airways are smaller. >> reporter: back in central california, dahlen cameron has lived in this neighborhood for 58 years. he's now seen his neighbors' burned for the second time. the first during the campfi