Final swim with a friend

On a hot hazy day, CHRISTOPHER DEAN and his son CONNOR, 4, along with their family dog Peyton keep cool in the Umpqua River near Elkton in Southwestern Oregon on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the area through Saturday. 

Through tears, Dean said this was the last swim with their dog because it had recently been diagnosed with cancer. After cooling down and enjoying their time in the river the family was taking their beloved Peyton to a veterinarian for humane euthanasia.

Hell on earth

Smoke from numerous large wildfires burning in the area color the sunset and sky yellow as a woodpecker perches on a dead tree along the Umpqua River near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. With no rain in the forecast, the National Weather Service is predicting temperatures near 100 degrees over the next several days.