DEQ extends C.O. air quality alert until noon Friday

With thick wildfire smoke still swirling over much of the state, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday it is extending an air quality advisory for the Portland metro area, North Coast and Willamette Valley until 4 p.m. Thursday and one for Central and Eastern Oregon until noon Friday

DEQ is extending an air quality advisory until noon Friday for Central and Eastern Oregon which covers Crook, Baker, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wasco and Wheeler counties.

Both advisories had been set to expire at noon on Thursday.

Bend was again at “unhealthy” air quality levels Thursday morning, having briefly reached the “hazardous” category when thick smoke primarily from the Terwilliger Fire on the Willamette National Forest blew east into the High Desert.

There was one new fire report late Wednesday on the High Desert, as a fire near the railroad tracks at Gateway, north of Madras, grew to 52 acres by Thursday, officials said.

DEQ also has an air quality advisory in place until further notice in Josephine, Jackson, Klamath and Lake counties. Some clearing is expected Thursday night in those counties and additional improvements could occur Friday.

The advisory for the Portland metro area, North Coast and Willamette Valley includes: Benton, Clatsop, Clackamas, Columbia, Hood River, Linn, Lincoln, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, Yamhill.

Local smoke levels can rise and fall rapidly. Residents can view current air quality conditions at DEQ’s Air Quality Index https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map. The index is also available on smart phones. Simply search for OregonAir in your app store.

The Oregon Smoke Blog also has an air quality map that includes temporary monitors close to specific fires, daily smoke forecasts for specific areas, and other resources. Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog for more information: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/

The color-coded Air Quality Index ranks air quality as follows: Green is good. Yellow is moderate, which is unhealthy for extremely sensitive groups. Orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory conditions. Red is unhealthy for everyone. Purple is very unhealthy for all groups. Maroon is hazardous.

People can take the following precautions:

– Be aware of smoke concentrations in your area and avoid the places with highest concentrations.

– Avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions.

– If you have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory ailments, or are over 65, you have a higher risk of illness from wildfire smoke.

– Small children and pregnant women are also at increased risk. These residents are encouraged to stay indoors.

– People suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their healthcare providers.

Oregon’s monitoring network does not capture air quality conditions in all communities so it is important for residents to gauge air quality conditions where they live and take appropriate actions to protect themselves.