Smoke blows into Western Washington after new wildfires spark. Expect it to linger.
Thick smoke from several new wildfires is choking Western Washington as unseasonably high winds fan the flames and cause widespread power outages.
Air quality registered as unhealthy Tuesday, according to the state Department of Ecology, and it’s unclear when it will improve.
“As the winds are shifting significantly, it is difficult to predict how long the smoke will persist, but some smoke may linger through at least Wednesday,” according to Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
Few power outages were reported in Tacoma, but Puget Sound Energy said more than 80,000 customers were without electricity.
More than 300 of those were in the Sumner area after a brush fire shut down both directions of state Route 167 and state Route 410. Troopers said power lines were down on both highways.
Officials said the smoke settling over the Puget Sound region is from several new wildfires in Eastern Washington that sparked late Sunday and Monday.
At least 288,000 acres burned across the state Monday, destroying many homes.
“I’m sick, the amount of new fires today is unreal,” tweeted Josh Clark, a fire meteorologist for the state’s Department of Natural Resources. ”Every one of these was 100 percent human-caused and therefore 100 percent preventable.”
The Cold Spring Canyon Fire began on the Colville reservation south of Omak and grew to 150,000 acres by late Monday, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The Evans Canyon Fire just north of Naches was more than 75,810 acres but is 60 percent contained.
Most of the state remained under a Red Flag Warning due to winds gusting nearly 40 mph in some areas.
Temperatures are forecast to be high this week, though it could cool some by the weekend.
“An extended period of warm and dry conditions will aid in the development of critical fire weather conditions and heat risk for much of the week,” according to the National Weather Service.
This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 6:20 AM.
