Simnasho Fire on the Warm Springs Reservation.

Central Oregonians are being advised to keep N95 masks handy and stay indoors this week as smoke could continue to reach Bend from wildfires burning in other parts of the Pacific Northwest.

“We expect smoke to be intermittent for at least the next several days,” said Laura Gleim, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “Air quality will likely remain poor, with daytime air quality being slightly better than at night.”

The forecast comes as seven wildfires are burning around the state. The largest is the Flat Fire which has burned more than 20,200 acres in Curry County in southwest Oregon. Bend is also impacted by the Bedrock Fire, which has burned 573 acres in forested areas east of Eugene.

“We’re anticipating smoke sitting around for another day or so with a slight break maybe on Wednesday,” said Rob Brooks, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Pendleton office.

“You’ll get some breeze to scrub some of that out, but you’ll probably still have haze after that.”

The forecast comes after smoke cloaked Bend and other areas of southern Deschutes County in a thick haze on Monday.

At 9:30 a.m., a sensor in southwest Bend recorded 305 on the air quality index, giving the city the dubious distinction of temporarily having the worst air quality in the Western Hemisphere, according to the website IQAir.com. Downtown Bend had an index score of 242, and northeast Bend’s reading was 247, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website.

By 11 a.m. the worst of the smoke was beginning to lift in Bend but the Air Quality Index remained above 150 for most of the day. However, Redmond and Sisters both had index levels of 223 as of 6:30 p.m.

Despite the hazy conditions Bendites and visitors went about their normal routine. Parking lots around the Old Mill District were packed as people floated the river, surfed in the Bend Whitewater Park and picnicked on the grass.

Air quality levels higher than 301 are considered “hazardous” and prompt a health warning of emergency conditions for all age groups. Hazardous levels are represented as maroon on the index and the recommendation is for everyone to avoid physical activity outside.

Air quality levels between 201 and 300, which display as purple on the index, are classified as “very unhealthy” and a health alert is prompted for all age groups. Sensitive groups including children, the elderly and people with heart and lung conditions are advised to stay indoors. Other groups should avoid prolonged exposure outdoors.

“Smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions,” Gleim said. “People most at risk include infants and young children, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and pregnant people.”

While Bend roasted in the smoke, the air wasn’t much better in other parts of Deschutes County. La Pine had an air quality reading of 185 and Sunriver’s reached 241 at 9:30 a.m.

When smoke levels are elevated, Gleim advises people in affected areas to stay inside if possible and keep windows and doors closed.

She adds that cloth, dust and surgical masks don’t protect from harmful particles in smoke and recommends using N95 masks instead.

The smoke affecting Deschutes County is likely a combination of several fires burning across Oregon and Washington, said Deschutes National Forest spokesperson Jaimie Olle.

The smoke impacted some activities in Bend, shutting down public pools for most of the day. When smoke descends in Bend, the district asks the public to check air-quality levels on their phones or computers instead of calling as phone lines become inundated when smoke levels rise.

The Oregon air quality index can be found at https://aqi.oregon.gov/

The smoke also prompted the Bend park district to cancel several camps and move outdoor programs indoors. Outdoor workers employed by the district were required to wear N95 masks, said district spokesperson Julie Brown.

Farm workers were also impacted. Rob Rastovich, who operates a cattle ranch east of Bend, said cows are affected by smoke and he notices an increase in illness when smoke is present.

“We also have the ranch hands stay indoors as much as possible, and when they do need to attend to the herd, they mask up, which makes an already difficult job even harder in this heat,” said Rastovich.

On Monday, the National Weather Service office in Pendleton issued a high fire danger alert due to dry and windy conditions across Oregon.

Fire restrictions are currently in place on the Deschutes National Forest, Crooked River National Grasslands and lands administered by Prineville Bureau of Land Management. Campfires, wood stoves, pellet burning and charcoal-briquette fires are prohibited except in designated campgrounds.

Fire on Warm Springs land

Simnasho Fire on Warm Springs Reservation grows to 1,200 acres, affects traffic

Weekend fires

Bend Fire & Rescue had a busy Saturday with two fires occurring back to back

Wildfires burning north and south of Bend

For more on active wildfires, see Page A2.