Much of Oregon smoke-free, at least for now: DEQ has no air quality advisories in place for the first time in 42 days

Matthew Draxton will have a report on NewsChannel 21 at Five.

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says that for the first time in 42 days, no air quality advisory has been issued for any part of the state, as recent cooler temperatures and weather changes bring an end - or a pause - to the wildfire smoke many communities have been dealing with.

From July 9th until Monday, the agency had an air quality advisory in place for at least some part of Oregon, the latest issued on Friday including Deschutes County.

Matthew Draxton is speaking with DEQ Public Affairs Specialist Michael Loch on what this means for Central Oregon residents, whether he believes this welcome period of clean fresh air will last, and how air quality readings this summer have compared to last year.

He's also speaking with the Deschutes National Forest about what this means for fire season, what residents and visitors can expect the rest of August, after a record-breaking hot and smoky July, and how fire season compares to last year, with several major fires still burning across the region.

Draxton also is reaching out to business owners and members of the community about how recent air quality has impacted their summer.

His report coming up on NewsChannel 21 at Five.