Wildfire smoke cancels concerts, closes pools on holiday weekend

Published 4:45 pm Monday, September 6, 2021

Smoke from wildfires shrouded much of Central Oregon over the weekend, canceling outdoor concerts and public pools, putting a damper on the holiday weekend.

The Air Quality Index soared into hazardous levels on Sunday and Monday, with an air quality alert for Central Oregon in place until 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Smoke from wildfires west of the Cascades is sending Central Oregon residents indoors for the second year in a row. Last year, strong winds ripped across much of the state, leaving Central Oregon in a pall of haze for over a week.

Forecaster Rob Brooks from the National Weather Service office in Pendleton said an area of high pressure is holding the smoke in Central Oregon. Low pressure later in the week will help to clear the haze. But Brooks is not anticipating a repeat of last year’s severe weather.

“We don’t have a wind event on the horizon. There are some areas of gustiness, but no system that will cause tons of wind to fan the fires,” said Brooks.

He warned that while there is no imminent danger of severe weather spreading fire, Central Oregonians need to remain vigilant.

“We are fairly dry, so until we get a good rain you cannot stick a fork in the fire season,” he said.

A handful of surfers patrolled Bend’s Whitewater Park on Monday and there were some people floating the Deschutes River, but parks and picnic areas were mostly vacant on the Labor Day holiday.

Tim Kay, a visitor from Mesa, Arizona, was downtown overlooking Mirror Pond and Drake Park, taking in the hazy views. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions Kay was still happy to be in Bend.

“Even with the smoke it’s still beautiful,” said Kay. “Everyone is alive here, everyone has a hop in their step.”

Most downtown shops were closed for the holiday but some restaurants remained open. But some food cart owners were weighing the smoke impacts on their workers. Aina Hawaiian Bend, which serves poke bowls and other dishes from Hawaii, closed for the day on Monday, citing the smoke.

“The smoke has taken a toll on me and my crew. Please stay inside and stay safe, no need to breathe in this hazardous air,” the owner advised on social media.

The smoke closed Juniper Swim &and Fitness Center on Monday, with programs moving over to the indoor Larkspur Community Center.

The Death Cab For Cutie concert scheduled for Monday night at Les Schwab Amphitheater was canceled. Ticket holders were informed that refunds will be available at the point of purchase.

The Sunday night concert at Les Schwab featuring Brandi Carlile was postponed to Sept. 20.

The air quality in Bend was the second-worst in the Western Hemisphere on Monday. Only Cuernavaca, Mexico, had worse air, according to the World Air Quality Project, a website that tracks global air quality.

The worst levels occurred early on Sunday when the air quality index reached 454 in Bend. Any level over 300 is considered hazardous to all groups. Monday morning in Bend the air quality reached 354. The 24-hour running average as of Monday afternoon was 277 in Bend, 317 in La Pine, and 198 in Redmond.

Brooks from the weather service said it can be hard to pin down the exact source of the smoke, but that fires west of Bend are partly to blame. Those fires include the Middle Fork Complex east of Eugene and the Bull Complex east of Salem.

The closest fire to Bend over the weekend was the Forest Meadow Fire that burned 45 acres south of La Pine. Deschutes National Forest spokesperson Kassidy Kern said Monday no structures were burned and the fire is fully contained. Kern added that there are no active fires in Central Oregon, and the smoke has arrived from the Middle Fork and other parts of the West.

“It’s just a lot of smoke because there is a lot of fire on the ground right now,” said Kern. “We are the unhappy recipients of that, but the other side of the coin is that we are not a community, like many communities are now, concerned with homes burning. There are a lot of communities in the West that have that concern. Our hearts and prayers go out to those folks because I’d rather have smoke than deal with that.”

Kern said she encourages people to stay inside when air quality levels spike.

“Long-term exposure to these conditions can be tough on your body,” said Kern. “I encourage people to keep those windows and doors closed tight, stay hydrated to help your body flush out those toxins. That is about the best we can do in these conditions right now.”

“We are fairly dry, so until we get a good rain you cannot stick a fork in the fire season.”

Rob Brooks, National Weather Service, Pendleton