Oregon Smoke Information

Air Quality Report and Outlook for 8/31/14 The Deception fire had minimal growth yesterday due to light rain conditions.  Overnight, the more stable conditions trapped emissions at the elevation of the fire. These emissions will drop into the valley early this morning before clearing out in the afternoon increased north winds. We forecast the air quality in Oakridge and Westfir to reach Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups in the morning but we anticipate the afternoon conditions to improve to the Moderate range. On Monday, northeast winds that should continue to push the majority of smoke to the South away from Oakridge and Westfir. Site Sunday Morning forecast Aug 31, 2014 Sunday Afternoon forecast Aug 31, 2014 Sunday Evening forecast Aug 31, 2014 Oakridge Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Moderate Moderate Westfir Unhealthy for Sen...

Oakridge wildfires holding on Light rain and cooler temperatures in the Cascades on Saturday didn’t help put out wildfires near Oakridge, but they helped prevent the fires from spreading. The Deception Complex fire, a group of five fires west of Oakridge, has grown to 2,196 acres, according to the interagency team fighting the fire. The fire, which is being fought by more than 900 firefighters, is 55 percent contained, said Candice Lawrence, an interagency spokeswoman. Residents on LaDuke Road and in the Deception Creek Mobile Home Park along Highway 58 remained under a Level II “get set” advisory Saturday, meaning they need to be ready to leave immediately. Rain fell in varying amounts in the Willamette Valley on Saturday, but no more than a few hundredths of an inch of precipitation were predicted for the hills around Oakridge, Lawrence said. Scattered showers were predicted through Saturday night, yet the precipitation wasn’t expected to penetrate the ...

Air Quality Report and Outlook for 8/30/14 The deception fire grew 149 acres yesterday as a result of interior burning and burn out operations to strengthen perimeter control lines.  Smoke from the majority of this increase vented to the southeast in the late afternoon and evening with valleys winds blowing out of the west. Overnight, the more stable conditions trapped emissions at the elevation of the fire. These emissions will drop into the valley late this morning peaking before noon and then clearing as a result of increased west winds this afternoon.  We forecast the air quality in Oakridge and Westfir to reach Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups near noon for a short period before west valley winds will clear the area of the majority of pollutants. We anticipate the afternoon conditions in Westfir and Oakridge to improve to the Moderate range. On Sunday, another frontal system will result in north winds that should push the ...

Crews make small gain against blaze But the Deception Complex fire near Oakridge could still flare up if winds increase By Christian Hill The Register-Guard Aug. 29, 2014   OAKRIDGE — Fire crews gained a little ground Thursday on a large wildfire burning outside Oakridge that shrouded the eastern Lane County town in a smoky haze and prompted a brief evacuation a day earlier.   Officials had evacuated for a short time a mobile home park along Highway 58 and about 60 homes along LaDuke Road on Wednesday evening after weather conditions allowed the Deception Complex fire to more than double in size to 1,832 acres from 851 acres. The residents remained on a Level II — or be prepared to leave — standby alert Thursday night.   The fire flared up again Thursday afternoon, as officials had predicted earlier in the day, but it wasn’t as intense as on Wednesday.   “It doesn’t look as bad as it was at this time yesterday,” Ri...

        The Deception Fire grew by 313 acres yesterday.  Smoke from the fire was observed down drainage to the northwest as far as Dexter and up into the Cascades as far as the crest and O’Dell Lake on the Deschutes NF. The smoke started to disperse early afternoon however much of it remained trapped in the drainages. Smoke levels increased in Oakridge and along HWY 58 early Friday morning.      Expect smoke to increase through the morning around Oakridge to Unhealthy Levels for Sensitive Groups and worsen to Unhealthy in early afternoon for a short period.  Smoke should lift later in the afternoon with increasing winds and improve back to Unhealthy Levels for Sensitive Groups .   Air Quality Outlook   (Particulate Matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter) Site Friday Morning forecast Aug 29, 2014 Friday Afternoon forecast Aug 29, 2014 Friday Evening forecast Aug 29, 2014 ...

News Release : Aug. 28, 2014 DEQ provides tools people can use to determine air quality conditions during smoke events Air quality in and around Klamath Falls deteriorated Wednesday night and in Bend Thursday morning and is unhealthy for sensitive groups, including those with asthma and other respiratory conditions. People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children, are advised to stay indoors. Poor air quality conditions are a health threat and should be avoided by all residents in smoky communities. Remember, local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly depending on weather factors, including wind direction. How healthy is the air in your community? Check DEQ’s Air Quality Index to see real-time air monitoring data from monitors placed around Oregon. On the west side of the Cascades, the air quality index reached the “unhealthy” range in Oakridge yesterday for the first time this year. The Deception Creek Complex fire n...

Date:  August 28, 2014, 11:00 am   SOUTHWEST OR— Recent mapping of the 790 Fire has reported a total of 2,095 acres burned.  Crews continue their efforts on the eastern portions of the fire near the Pacific Crest Trail.  Currently, a Type 3 Incident Management Team (Edwards) is managing the full fire suppression efforts.  Today a Type 2 Incident Management Team will be briefed regarding the current fire situation.  This Type 2 Incident Management Team is expected to assume management of the 790 Fire Friday, August 29, 2014.   The Pacific Crest Trail south of the Crater Lake National Park and north of State Highway 140 remain closed.  This trail closure recently was modified to address the recent fire activity.  The following trails were added to the previous trail closure: Nannie Creek Trail, Cherry Creek Trail and all trails which depart Cold Spring Trail Head.  For full closure details please refer to http://ww...

Below is a model run conducted by the USFS from a fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness North and West of Klamath Falls.   Blue Sky Model Run – Time Series Klamath Falls – August 28 th Blue Sky run Klamath Falls August 27 th – 9PM – #790 Fire Sky Lakes Wilderness Wildfire 2095 acres Klamath Falls August 28 2AM Klamath Falls August 28 – 6AM Klamath Falls August 28 9AM Klamath Falls August 28 2PM      

Where is the smoke coming from in Bend? Below is a time series from a USFS Model Run showing the predicted smoke impacts from the Deception Creek Wildfire Complex.   Blue Sky Run – Time Series from 8:30 this AM   Bend - August 28 th run Bend - August 28, 2014 at Midnight - Deception Creek Complex Fire near Oakridge - 946 acres   August 28 – 4AM Deception Creek Fire Bend – August 28 11AM Deception Creek Fire Bend August 28 3PM - Deception Creek Fire      

The Deception Fire made a significant run at approximately 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon. Exact acreage increase is unknown but possibly another 400 acres. Burning is expected to continue through the night. Transport winds carried the smoke to the east of Oakridge but are expected to settle with night cooling. Smoke impacts are expected tonight and throughout the morning in the Oakridge community, on Hwy 58 and along the Middle Fork of the Willamette. 

The Deception Fire grew 235 acres on Tuesday 8/26.  Poor dispersion and light NW winds have kept the smoke in the Oakridge community through the mid-afternoon. The Oakridge Air Quality monitor is currently in the Unhealthy level but smoke is slowly lifting with increased NW winds. There is light smoke along Hwy 58 and down the Middle Fork of the Willamette. Moderate growth continued today and similar conditions are expected tomorrow.

Northwest wildfires: Crews still battling 8 large, uncontained blazes   Lynne Terry | lterry@oregonian.com By Lynne Terry | lterry@oregonian.com OregonLive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 25, 2014 at 9:26 AM, updated August 25, 2014 at 9:27 AM The wildfire season appears to be winding down, with crews containing four large blazes in Washington state in the past 24 hours. The Little Bridge Creek fire west of Winthrop and the Upper Falls fire north of Winthrop are both now 100 percent contained. So is the Carlton Complex south of Twisp, which has been burning over a month and has torched more than 256,100 acres. The other blaze that's now 100 percent lined is the the Auvil Canyon fire northwest of Waterville, which has scorched more than 600 acres. In Oregon, the Deception/Stanley complex remains the top priority. Sparked by lightning, the five fires in the complex have charred nearly 470 acres and are 53 percent conta...

Northwest wildfires: Crews make progress but extreme conditions remain in parts of Oregon   Lynne Terry | lterry@oregonian.com By Lynne Terry | lterry@oregonian.com OregonLive.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 18, 2014 at 9:53 AM Firefighters across the Northwest have made progress in the past 24 hours thanks to cooler temperatures and higher humidity but forecasters warned Monday that part of Oregon still faces an extreme fire threat. A total of 15 large, uncontrolled blazes are burning in Oregon and Washington, with 16 holdover fires popping up in the last 24 hours from lightning strikes last week. Initial attack crews managed to contain all of the small fires while making progress against big ones, said Carol Connolly, spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center . "Things are looking pretty good on the large fires," she said. "Crews are starting to increase containment numbers....