Watch the movement of smoke plumes from Northwest wildfires at the U.S. Forest Service’s BlueSky site.
Smoke from Central Washington wildfires drifted west into the Vancouver-Portland metro area on Saturday, dramatically reducing air quality and leading to a flurry of worried calls to emergency dispatch centers.
The Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, which handles 911 dispatch calls in Clark County, received more than three times its normal number of calls between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, prompting officials to ask for people to call 911 only if they see fire or a column of smoke.
“Most of the calls, especially (Saturday) morning, were related to ‘Where is the smoke coming from in the area?’ ” said CRESA spokesman Eric Frank. “People were fearful the fires were in their area or right around them.”
Much of the smoke came from the Cougar Creek Fire, which has blackened 25,000 acres southeast of Mount Adams. The fire was only 25 percent contained as of Saturday.
Wind shift
Smoke started to build in the Vancouver-Portland area between 11 a.m. and noon Saturday as winds shifted and began blowing from the east, according to the National Weather Service in Portland. Conditions worsened throughout the afternoon as the easterly winds picked up.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Laurel McCoy said Saturday that the smoke would likely thicken overnight into Sunday as it continued to blow in from the east.
Widespread haze is expected to persist through Sunday afternoon and will begin to improve Sunday night when the winds shift back to a westerly direction. The skies should mostly be cleared by midday Monday, McCoy said.
“It’s pretty unusual, at least in our experience here at the office, because we did just have east winds a couple weeks ago, and it didn’t get nearly this smoky,” McCoy said of this weekend’s smoke intrusion. “The conditions were just right (Saturday) for it to come settle over the area.”
Northeast winds of 10-15 mph were forecast for Saturday evening, with gusts of 20-25 mph. The weather service had issued a red flag warning until 11 p.m. Saturday for enhanced fire danger prompted by the winds and lowered humidity.
Health risk
Smoke levels in the air basin that includes Vancouver and Portland rose to unhealthy levels Saturday, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
The agency warns that wildfire smoke may increase the risk of illness, especially for older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with asthma, respiratory or heart conditions.
It said that residents sensitive to poor conditions should be aware of smoke concentrations in their area and avoid places with the highest concentrations by staying indoors, closing all windows and doors, and using an air filter. Some may consider leaving the area until air quality improves.
Also, people should avoid strenuous outdoor activity in smoky conditions, the agency said, while anyone suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems should follow their breathing management plans or contact their health care providers.
Growing awareness
Frank said CRESA usually receives about 370 calls between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. On Saturday, the agency received 1,150 calls in that period, more than the 1,000 it normally handles in a 10-hour shift.
He said calls to 911 began to slow to a “trickle” by 5 p.m. Saturday, in part due to a push of information his agency sent out to media partners and posts on social media.
CRESA will continue to update its blog and social media sites as conditions persist, he said.
“The biggest message is if people have a legitimate emergency and need to call 911, then we understand that and expect them to call. But, if they are just seeking information about the smoke and what’s going on, they should ask (those questions) on social media sites and we will try to answer them there,” Frank said.
