You thought the smoke was bad before? Here’s how bad it is now

Wildfire smoke blanketing much of the Puget Sound region has heightened health concerns across Whatcom County and forced a ban on all outdoor burning.

Officials at the National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for Western Washington, and a “red flag” fire warning for low humidity, high temperatures and gusty winds.

People with heart conditions or respiratory ailments — plus pregnant women, children and the elderly — were being advised to stay inside, keep doors and windows closed, and limit physical activity as air quality readings in Whatcom County rose to unhealthy levels.

“If you have one of these conditions and must go outdoors, wear a particulate respirator mask of N95 or N100 to filter out fine particles,” said Dr. Susan Kranzpiller at the PeaceHealth Medical Group Same Day Care Clinic in Bellingham.

Adding to the misery were record high temperatures as the mercury hit 88 degrees at Bellingham International Airport about 2:30 p.m. Monday, breaking the mark of 83 from 1958.

By noon Monday, hospital officials were reporting a small increase in visits to the St. Joseph Hospital emergency department and to the same-day clinic, said PeaceHealth spokeswoman Hilary Andrade.

In addition, many people suffering from asthma, lung cancer, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were calling with concerns about smoke in the air, said Andrade.

Andrade said the Pulmonary Medicine Clinic had received more than 100 calls by 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Because of worsening air quality, all outdoor burning is banned in Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties, by order of the Northwest Clean Air Agency.

That’s in addition to a burn ban from the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office as fire danger rose to “very high,” according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Restrictions on outdoor burning include recreational fires such as campfires and fire pits.

Barbecue grills using charcoal briquettes are allowed, as are propane-powered grills, stoves and fire rings, but their use is discouraged, said Seth Preston of the Northwest Clean Air Agency.

“We would hope that people would recognize what’s going on and not contribute to the smoke,” Preston said.

Meteorologists said some relief is due Wednesday evening as the wind changes and brings cooler temperatures, but some smoke may linger for weeks because it’s coming from fires in British Columbia, and in Oregon, California and other Western states.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the B.C. Wildfire Service is fighting about 545 wildfires, and smoke from those fires is what’s affecting Western Washington now.

“Most of the smoke is coming from somewhere else,” said Kirby Cook, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service in Seattle. “The wind is driving the smoke.”

Because Western Washington is surrounded by wildfires in almost every direction, a change in the wind might not clear the air, he said.

“By Wednesday, we’re going to transition to a typical onshore flow,” Cook said. “I wouldn’t expect completely pristine skies, but it will be better.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 7:39 AM.