VIDEO/PHOTOS: With wildfires burning across the state, health officials explain air quality in western Washington is not largely impacted despite smoke and even a red sun visible Thursday from Seattle neighborhoods to Bonney Lake. “Itโs not a huge concern. Of course, everyone has their own sensitivity to smoke concentrations, so if you are sensitive to any of that smoke, definitely try to reduce exposure as best you can by limiting time outside,” Washington Department of Ecology’s Lead Air Quality Forecaster Beth Friedman explained.
In Puyallup, people weren’t letting a slight haze keep them from enjoying the best of the state fair. Air quality sensors reported “good” air quality by the afternoon. “Itโs not the most comfortable thing, so itโll be interesting to see how it might get worse throughout the day,” said Ella Meyer from Olympia. “It happens every year. Weโre so used to it. Part of me feels like we canโt just stay at home the whole time, so weโll be out here for a couple hours, then go back and let our lungs breathe again,” added Hanni Herman from Olympia.
On Thursday morning, the smoke was drifting overhead from the Wildcat Fire burning in the Cascades near Mount Rainier. It’s estimated at more than 1,200 acres and was 0% contained. The Department of Ecology recommends people keep an eye out on daily smoke outlooks for local smoke impacts and fire information as conditions change. “The Wildcat Fire exhibited extreme fire behavior [Wednesday]. It even produced itโs own thunderstorm because of such extreme fire behavior,” Friedman said.
