An air quality alert for Deschutes County was issued Friday morning and expected to remain in effect until 5 p.m. on Monday.

The alert, issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, is for Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, Sisters, La Pine and Brothers.

On Friday at 11 a.m. air pollution levels in Bend were moderate, with the air quality index ranging between 59 in southwest Bend to 84 in downtown. But the new air quality alert said wildfires burning in Oregon and California, combined with forecast conditions, will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels.

The advisory recommends the public to limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it becomes smoky. Updated air quality data and the location of forest fires can be found on oregonsmoke.org.

Klamath and Lake counties are also under an advisory for air pollution this weekend.

As of midday on Friday, air quality levels across the state were mostly good or moderate. Only Oakridge and Klamath Falls registered air quality index levels above 100, considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Despite the cooler and wet weather Central Oregon has experienced this week, officials still advise the public to remain cautious and prevent sparking new fires.

“Fire danger remains high in Central Oregon,” said Kaitlyn Webb, a spokesperson for the Deschutes National Forest. “August is historically known for higher fire activity in our area and fuels remain extremely dry. We haven’t received enough precipitation to moderate fuel conditions.”

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