Maps show where wildfires in Oregon and across Northwest are fouling the air
Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada are covering the region with high-density smoke and driving air quality to unhealthy and even hazardous levels across the region.
At least four large fires were burning in Oregon on Tuesday morning, according to fire tracking data updated by the Northwest Coordination Center. Three of the fires are just west of Eugene, the largest of which covers 30,554 acres. With winds shifting and conditions changing, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a new air quality advisory Tuesday to cover parts of southern and central Oregon that are still affected by local fires, said Lauren Wirtis, communications manager of the department.
“Our state agencies and the National Weather Service meet regularly to update and provide the most recent status on air quality,” Wirtis said.
Smoky wildfires in the Northwest
Protect yourself: Track smoke, fires and air quality in the Northwest and around the country.
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In Washington, at least six wildfires were burning; two of the blazes near Spokane covered more than 10,000 acres each. Smoke from fires in British Columbia across the Canadian border also contributed to the poor air quality. More than a third of the 1,042 active fires in Canada are in British Columbia, and many of them are out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
As of early Tuesday, Cave Junction, Oregon, had the worst air quality in the country, with a hazardous Air Quality Index reaching 382. Air quality levels in the hazardous range trigger health warnings of emergency conditions, and the entire population is more likely to be affected, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index.