Current Smoke Conditions in Vale/Juntura/Brogan, Oregon July 26th, 2014

 

The spatial extent of the smoke is restricted to within a few miles of the individual fires on the Kitten Complex and the fires from the surrounding area.  Most of the smoke that can be seen from any distance is white (meaning that the fuels are light grass and light brush), and the result of the suppression actions being taken to be sure the fires stay within the current established fire lines.  The smoke maybe most noticeable at the peak temperature for the day because this is when the burn out activities will be most effective.  The communities of Vale, Juntura and Brogan should not see any significant smoke today, and unless conditions change with the expected lightning (bringing new fires) early next week, this condition should be the norm for the foreseeable (two or three days) future. The map below shows the locations of the communities in reference to the fire locations.  Please notice that, as of this morning, there has not been any significant heat detected by the satellite for 24 hours (on one fire) and for more than 24 hours on the other fires (see the fire just NW of Brogan). 

An air quality monitor has been setup in the Community of Vale, Oregon to take quantitative measurements of both weather and particulate matter (smoke).  The monitor has been measuring negligible amounts of particulate matter.  The values we have seen (please see the graph below) have been so low, that the air quality by any standard would be considered very clean and would be officially categorized as very good or excellent.