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Smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire created hazardous air that descended on parts of Central Oregon on Monday, canceling some activities around the area as residents sheltered indoors.

The smoke created a pall as the wildfire continued to burn across parts of the Deschutes National Forest near Waldo and Cultus lakes.

The Air Quality Index registered 387 in southwest Bend at 10 a.m. on Monday and 446 in La Pine. Any level over AQI 300 is considered hazardous and people are advised to stay indoors.

The air quality improved into the afternoon and by 2:30 p.m., the index had fallen to 202 in Bend and 292 in La Pine.

“It’s smoky. It’s pretty thick. We are just hoping the wind shifts,” said Jackie Smart, an employee at Gordy’s Truck Stop in La Pine.

Smart said the restaurant was a little busier than usual as locals tried to stay indoors. Despite the smoke, Smart said people remained in good spirits.

“Everybody is trying to stay positive,” she said.

Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality issued air quality advisories for 12 counties including Deschutes.

Bend-La Pine Schools limited outdoor activities for children, based on the location of the school, said district spokesperson Alandra Johnson.

Classes have yet to begin at Oregon State University-Cascades, so few changes were needed on campus, said university spokesperson Christine Coffin.

Kacey Davey, a spokesperson for Oregon Department of Transportation, said workers changed their work schedules on Monday to perform tasks that allowed them to stay mostly in their vehicles, such as hauling material instead of doing ditch maintenance.

The deteriorating air quality had a bigger impact on outdoor sports and recreation. Sun Country Tours canceled its river rafting trips on Monday. Mt. Bachelor shut down its zip lines and mountain biking experiences.

The REI store in Bend was closed for the day on Monday. Tumalo Creek Canoe & Kayak opened its retail store but did not rent out tubes, kayaks or other equipment.

“We decided first thing in the morning that the air index was just too high to do rentals,” said James Fredericks, a sales associate at Tumalo Creek. “It’s not too motivational with all this smoke, that’s for sure.”

Bend Park & Recreation District closed its indoor pools at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center and Larkspur Community Center due to the smoke. Spokesperson Julie Brown said smoke entered the buildings, prompting the closures. The Bend Senior Center also closed and canceled its programs.

Some area medical clinics were also impacted by the smoke. Mosaic Medical closed its East Bend, Conners Health Center, and Courtney sites in Bend to in-person visits. Those locations shifted to remote services. St. Charles Family Care and Urgent Care in La Pine also closed Monday.

Rob Rastovich, owner of Rastovich Farms on Bend’s east side, said his ranch hands only went outside to feed the cattle. Other work, including building fences, repairing feed bunks and doing other maintenance work was set aside due to the smoke.

“The lost productivity is enormous,” said Rastovich “And the cows need extra water in this climate, which we do not have (because of the drought) so we are buying more.”

The Cedar Creek Fire burning west of Waldo Lake — the primary source of smoke impacting Central Oregon — had burned 86,734 acres by Monday morning. The size of the fire increased fourfold over the weekend as east winds fanned the flames. Most of the newly burned areas were on the west side of the fire, closer to Oakridge.

The fire is not imminently threatening any towns east of the Cascades, said Joan Kluwe, a spokesperson for the Alaska Incident Management Team, which is coordinating efforts on the east side of the fire. As of Monday, the wildfire hadn’t damaged structures, said Kluwe.

Cutting and grinding of brush was being done along state Highway 58 and the Cascades Lakes Highway.

“They do not want it to cross the Cascades Lakes Highway,” said Kluwe.

On Sunday residents of Oakridge were given Level 3 — Go Now evacuation orders and told to go to Lane Community College in Eugene. By Monday morning most of Oakridge was back to Level 2 — Get Set evacuation orders. Kluwe said a 20- to 25-mile stretch of the Cascades Lakes Highway was closed. Elk Lake was still accessible from the north, and Davis lake was accessible from the south. The areas in between are closed, she said.

Redmond, Prineville, and Madras experienced some impacts from the smoke, with the Air Quality Index registering numbers between 100 and 150, considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

• Good — 0 to 50

No health impacts expected.

• Moderate — 51 to 100

Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or

heavy outdoor exertion.

• Unhealthy for sensitive groups — 101 to 150

People with heart or respiratory diseases, such as asthma; older

adults and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

Active healthy adults should also limit prolong outdoor exertion.

• Unhealthy — 151 to 200

People with heart or respiratory diseases, such as asthma; older

adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor

exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor

exertion.

• Very unhealthy — 201 to 300

People with heart or respiratory diseases, such as asthma; older

adults and children should avoid all physical activity outdoors.

Everyone else should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.

• Hazardous — greater than 300

Everyone should avoid all outdoor exertion.

Source: Oregon DEQ, World Air Quality Index Project