Smoky skies won’t stop Madras air show
Thick haze from the Waterfalls 2 fire burning west of Warm Springs could be seen and smelled this morning from Bend.
What is normally a clear view of Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters was covered by brown smoke, and caused some concern of affecting outdoor events this weekend.
But Friday afternoon at The Airshow of the Cascades, at Madras Airport, things went as planned. The shift in winds helped clear smoke in the area and pushed it west.
But with a large wildfire burning just miles away, though skies were clear this evening, officials are keeping an eye on the sky.
“You always want to be concerned a little bit,” said Tom Brown, the air show’s committee chairman. “Things can change. We don’t look for it to.”
“If you really have respiratory problems, you might think about that,” said Brown. “But the people we talked to here that have asthma and stuff like that, they haven’t had any problems at all.”
Health officials say air quality can affect everyone on an individual basis, but to use common sense and limit your time outdoors if you see or smell smoke.
Smoke particles can get into your eyes, nose, aggravate lungs even for healthy people, and especially for children and the elderly.
Nonetheless, spectators from Central Oregon and beyond were looking forward to the show Friday afternoon.
“It’s homey, it’s quiet, it’s a nice open airfield,” said a pilot from Hillsboro. “Great to fly aircraft like this. so we just enjoy coming over here.”
“Last year, it was a little bit more smoky, but it was still a fantastic show,” said a couple from Redmond. “The people out here do a great job for a nominal price.”
As the wildfire continues to burn, adding to that amount, we’ll be watching the weather as it plays a big part in the concentration of smoke in the air.
Private controlled burns are *not* allowed in Jefferson County for the next two days.
Staff at hospitals in Jefferson and Crook counties tell NewsChannel21 there hasn’t been an influx in patients complaining of respiratory problems related to smoke.
For more information on the air show: http://www.cascadeairshow.com/
