Pacific Northwest wildfires send smoke into Bay Area, advisory issued

Smoke from several raging Pacific Northwest wildfires is drifting into the Bay Area on Tuesday, triggering an air quality advisory for the region.

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The Bay Area Air District warned that residents could see smoky, hazy skies, smell wildfire smoke and experience air quality that may be considered “unhealthy at times” on Tuesday and Wednesday, the agency said in a news release. Some of the biggest fires burning in Pacific Northwest are the Grasshopper Fire in Oregon, the Little Giant Fire in Washington’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and multiple destructive blazes in Spokane, Washington. Smoke from the eastern Washington fires has even shown up on NASA satellite images, and some Bay Area firefighters, such as Alameda County crews, are assisting with the blazes. 

As the smoke travels from north to south and toward the Bay Area, authorities are urging residents to stay inside with windows and doors closed until the smoke wanes. Residents should also adjust their car vents to prevent the outside air from coming inside, the air district said. 

“Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants. Exposure to wildfire smoke is unhealthy, even for short periods of time,” the agency said. 

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Residents can monitor the smoke and pollution levels on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s map. As of Tuesday afternoon, the air quality is clear in most parts of the Bay Area, except in parts of the South Bay, where the air quality is moderate, according to the map.