Tri-Citians breathing smoke from Yakima County fire. Air is unhealthy for many
Smoky air blanketed the Tri-Cities on Wednesday, with much of it coming from the Evans Canyon Fire in Yakima County, according to the National Weather Service.
Satellite pictures on the Washington Smoke blog showed a line of smoke blowing directly into the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla Wednesday morning.
Air quality in the Tri-Cities was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups by the Washington state Department of Ecology, the worst to date this summer.
Children, older adults, pregnant women, smokers, stroke survivors and people with health conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease should limit time spent outdoors.
Air quality was worse in Sunnyside, where it was rated unhealthy for all people.
The National Weather Service said their could be some improvement in air quality through the day as the wind picks up.
Gusts as high as 21 mph were forecast, likely in the afternoon.
Area fires
The Tri-Cities has been surrounded by fires in the past few days. The largest is the Evans Canyon Fire which has burned 13,000 acres of grass, brush and trees northwest of Naches in Yakima County.
Strong winds are expected to push the fire to the southeast. Firefighters expect to see significant growth in the blaze.
Locally, firefighters battled back a Tuesday night blaze that scorched more than 500 acres near the intersection of Nine Canyon Road and Highway 397 south of Finley, Benton County Fire District 1 said.
The two-alarm fire started near the windmills shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday and quickly spread. The fire burned close to the highway forcing it to be closed for several hours.
No homes were threatened.
Firefighters contained the blaze by burning the fuels ahead of the fire. It was contained by about 1 a.m., according to reports.
About 70 firefighters helped in the effort. Benton County Fire Distrct 1 was joined by the Kennewick, Richland and Pasco fire departments and Benton County fire districts 2 and 4, West Benton Fire Rescue, Franklin County fire districts 3 and 5 and Walla Walla County Fire District 5.
Holiday forecast
Temperatures will be heating up this week, with some possible new high daily records being set in the Mid-Columbia.
The hottest day in the Tri-Cities should be Friday with the high forecast to reach 100, about 15 degrees above normal.
Highs should be in the 90s through Labor Day weekend with a high of 98 Saturday, 95 Sunday and 91 on Labor Day, according to the weather service forecast.
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 11:21 AM.