Smoke Forecast for Chetco Bar Fire

The Chetco Bar fire in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in Southwest Oregon has grown from 500 acres on Friday July 21 to an estimated 1,600 acres. Forecasters expect the fire, which is mainly burning understory, to burn through the rest of the summer until rains arrive. Smoke from the fires may affect local areas. So far air quality readings at monitors in Grants Pass, Cave Junction and Medford have been good or green. A portable air monitors will be set up in the near future in Brookings. For more information on the fire, visit InciWeb. Regular air quality forecasts will be posted here. Remember to follow the Oregon Smoke Blog on Twitter as well @ORSmokeBlog.

Smoke Forecast Outlook -  Chetco Bar Fire             

Issued for: Tuesday, July 25, 2017 

Air Resource Advisor: Paul Schlobohm (pschlobo@blm.gov)     

Weather, Fire and Smoke Synopsis

Smoke: Overall, good air quality is expected for July 25 beyond the vicinity of the Chetco Bar Fire. This includes Grants Pass, Cave Junction and the Illinois Valley, Gold Beach, and Brookings.  Light haze may be visible in the morning near Brookings as smoke drifts down the Chetco drainage overnight.  Similar to Monday, any visible smoke will retreat from the coast by mid-morning. Fire: Chetco Bar Fire activity has been light and continues to grow slowly to about 1600 ac.  Other: Permanent air quality monitors are located in Medford, Grants Pass, and Cave Junction.  A portable monitor has been ordered to better understand potential impacts in Brookings.
Air Quality Outlook
Sites with air quality monitor
Site	Yesterday		Today	Tomorrow	Notes for today’s forecast
Cave Junction	Good		Good	Good	Good conditions throughout the day, hazy skies in afternoon
Grants Pass	Good		Good	Good	Good conditions throughout the day
Sites without a monitor
Site	Yesterday		Today	Tomorrow	Notes for today’s forecast
Brookings	No data		Good	Good	Early morning haze, then good conditions
Disclaimer: Conditions may change quickly. These predictions are based on anticipated weather and fire activity. AQI estimates for sites do not represent a full 24-hour time period.  Instead they reflect a period of time within the day where smoke impacts would be greatest.
AQI Index		Actions to Protect Yourself
Good		None
Moderate		Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups*- USG		People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.  Everyone else should limit prolonged or heavy exertion.
Unhealthy		The following groups should avoid all physical outdoor activity: People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults.  Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.
Very Unhealthy		Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should remain indoors.
Hazardous		The following groups should remain indoors and keep activity levels low: People with heart or lung disease; children and older adults. Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion

* Sensitive Groups include people with heart or lung disease, children, pregnant women and older adults

Living Dangerously in the Era of MegaFires - Ted Talk

Many of you may have seen the recent presentation by Dr. Paul Hessburg on the Era of Megafires.  In this presentation, Dr. Hessburg provides an explanation of why wildfires have been growing in the the western united states.  Recently, a condensed version of the presentation was made into a Ted Talk which is now on Youtube.  Its called Living Dangerously in the Era of Megafires.  You can search for it by title on Youtube or access it by clicking this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edDZNkm8Mas&t=14s.   Or to see it in person, check out the schedule from North 40 Productions website at http://www.north40productions.com/wildfire.

July 4, 2017 Smoke Detected in Prineville

Yesterday, the Grizzly Fire, located approximately nine miles northwest of Prineville, caused some light smoke in Prineville for a few hours yesterday afternoon.  According to DEQ's  smoke monitor, PM2.5 concentrations increased to 12 - 28 ug/m3 in the afternoon, but decreased back to normal levels in the evening.   Light smoke will likely reoccur again in Prineville this afternoon, if the fire behaves as it did yesterday.   For more information about this fire, visit the Central Oregon Fire Information website at http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

June 28, 2017  Smoke Expected in Central Oregon tomorrow.

Sisters - Fire crews are preparing to conduct burnout operations tomorrow to help control the Sheep Spring fire.  The fire is located approximately 20 miles north of Sisters in the Brush Creek Drainage, less than a mile northwest of the Sheep Springs Campground.  Burn out operations are expected to begin in the morning, if conditions are favorable.  Smoke is likely to impact the nearby communities  including Camp Sherman.  Smoke will likely travel south potentially impacting Sisters and even Bend later in the day, as shown in the model forecast image below.   For information on how to protect oneself from smoke, please see the links on this website.

Resources for Wildfire Season

As wildfire season gets underway in Oregon, it’s a good time to bookmark some resources that provide information on air quality and wildfire smoke. The Oregon Smoke Blog provides regular updates on air quality throughout the season. You’ll also find us on Twitter @ORSmokeBlog. Check out our hot links to the left that provide information from federal, state and local agencies and provide information on how to safeguard against health effects from wildfire smoke.

High smoke levels can create health problems for even healthy people so remember to limit your exposure to smoke by keeping windows and doors closed and to reduce the time you spend in smoky areas and outdoors. The elderly, children and those with respiratory diseases can be particularly vulnerable to the effects of smoke. The Oregon Health Authority has more information on wildfire smoke and your health.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has a number of resources online including links to other agencies such as the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center’s fire maps and the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Wildfire Blog.

You can also learn more on the DEQ webpage about how agencies around the state work together using a standard Wildfire Response Protocol. The protocol describes the role of each agency during severe wildfire smoke events, and how agencies work together to increase safety and protect public health. 

For hourly and 24-hour updates on air quality, visit the DEQ’s Air Quality Index. The color-coded index shows what air quality conditions are around the state and explains whether those in a given area should take precautions. If you live in Lane County, check out. Lane Regional Air Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index.  Find them on Twitter @LaneRegionalAir.

You can also sign up to receive advisories from various counties or receive EnviroFlash alerts about the air quality in your area.

DEQ issues air quality advisory for Salem

	Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
	News Release
Release date:  Sept. 15, 2016 Contacts: Katherine Benenati, Public Affairs Specialist, Eugene, 541-686-7997, benenati.katherine@deq.state.or.us

DEQ issues air quality advisory for Salem

Salem, OR – Air quality in Salem is being adversely impacted by a fire at Brown’s Island Compost Facility and other fires in the area and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is urging residents in certain groups to take precautions.

Air quality readings for the last 24 hours at the Salem State Hospital monitor are yellow or moderate meaning air quality may pose a risk to those unusually sensitive to air pollution. Earlier in the day the 24-hour readings were orange or unhealthy for sensitive groups. When readings are orange, people with heart disease or lung disease, children and older adults should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.

Although air quality in the Salem area is currently in the moderate range, conditions could change due to weather and changes in fire activity.

Visit the Air Quality Index for the latest one- and 24-hour air quality readings. To sign up for air quality alerts in your area visit AirNow’s Enviroflash.

High smoke levels can create health problems for even healthy people so remember to limit your exposure to smoke by keeping windows and doors closed, reducing the time you spend in smoky areas and avoiding strenuous outdoor activity. The elderly, children and those with respiratory diseases can be particularly vulnerable to the effects of smoke.

Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog for more information on air quality, along with tools to help you assess smoke levels in their area. The site is an effort by city, county, tribal, state and federal agencies to provide information for Oregon 

Sept. 14 Air Quality Report for Gap Fire -- Klamath National Forest

Fire Information:  Fire is approximately 33,867 acres and 95% contained.   No additional perimeter fire growth occurred. The last two days had red flag warnings issued for strong gusty winds, those days were a good test to the fire and no significant fire activity occurred.   Islands of unburned fuel within the perimeter will continue to burn however it appears fire activity has been reduced to smoldering.  On all sides of the fire, crews are working on mop up and patrol of fire lines where safe to do so, along with pulling hose and equipment no longer needed on the fire line.  Suppression repair is also progressing along contingency lines and where needed.  Yesterday only small smoke columns were observed with a haze seen across the fire.                                                                                                                                                         Weather and Smoke Information:   No red flags have been issued for today.  Winds will be out of the northwest but will not be as strong as they were yesterday.  Ridgetops winds will range from 3-6 miles per hour (mph) in the morning then increase to 5-10 mph with gust up to 15 mph in the afternoon.  Temperatures will be 79-83 degrees with humidity values at 12-18% in the valleys.  Smoke production has been significantly reduced over the last few days.  All locations are expected to see Good conditions with the exception of Anderson/ Redding where Moderate conditions have been observed.
Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) Impacts from the Gap Fire
Site	Observed Midnight-Midnight 09/13/16		Forecast 09/14/16	Outlook 09/15/16	Worst Time of Day Impacts AQI and Period
Grants Pass	Good		Good	Good	May see hazy skies in the evening and overnight.
Medford/ Ashland	Good		Good	Good	May see hazy skies in the evening and overnight.
Klamath Falls	Good		Good	Good	May see hazy skies in the evening and overnight.
Oak Knoll RS	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the afternoon and evening.
Seiad	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the morning.
Happy Camp	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the morning.
Yreka	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the afternoon.
Fort Jones	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the late afternoon and evening.
Orleans	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the afternoon.
Weitchpec	Good		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the afternoon.
Hoopa	Unavailable		Good	Good	Expect elevated concentrations in the afternoon.
Weed	Good		Good	Good	May see hazy skies in the evening and overnight.
Redding/Anderson	Moderate		Moderate	Moderate	Expect elevated concentrations in the morning.
Red Bluff	Good		Good	Good	May see hazy skies.
Colors displayed above correspond roughly with the AQI chart below.  Conditions may change quickly, these projections are based on anticipated weather and fire activity.  Sensitive groups including individuals with Asthma, lung or heart disease, children, older adults, and pregnant women should take precautions to avoid exposure to smoke. If you feel as though you are having health effects from smoke see your doctor or health professional as needed. In some cases your eyes are your best tools, if it is smoky outside you are being impacted. Use caution when driving in or around smoky areas.
AQI Index		Actions to Protect Yourself
Good		None
Moderate		Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - USG		People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion.  Everyone else should limit prolonged or heavy exertion.
Unhealthy		The following groups should avoid all physical outdoor activity: People with heart or lung disease, children and older adults.  Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.
Very Unhealthy		Everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion; people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should remain indoors.
Hazardous		The following groups should remain indoors and keep activity levels low: People with heart or lung disease; children and older adults. Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion

Forecast conditions represent impacts from smoke.  Contributions from ozone and other pollutants are not reflected.

Links: California Smoke Blog - http://californiasmokeinfo.blogspot.com/