Smoke spreads across region; Sisters hardest hit

The American Red Cross said Sunday it has opened an aid station at the Sisters Elementary School gymnasium to provide a place for individuals to get out of the smoke in the Sisters area.

The aid station will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through at least Monday evening.

Snacks and water will be available as well as access to current fire information, said spokeswoman Carrie Sammons.

Smoke is expected to remain in the greater Sisters area for the next several days — and much of the rest of the region got a big shot of heavy smoke for much of Sunday as well, from Bend and Redmond south to La Pine.

For more information, visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/burning/wildfires/index.htm.

The DEQ also has air monitoring stations around the state and takes different-duration readings, such as the Wildfire Air Quality Index which read between “very unhealthy and “hazardous” in Sisters.

It also turned “unhealthy” for a time in Bend Sunday, as smoke made it hard to even see Pilot or Awbrey buttes, much less the socked-in Cascades.