More fires = Lots of smoke

About a week and a half ago there was a huge lighting and thunderstorm in our area that sparked many fires. Since then a lot of the fires have just kept growing and growing, which means the air quality in Ellensburg has been at unhealthy and hazardous levels. It is expected that all the fires will merge today, in which Ellensburg is literally surrounded by wildfires. They are also issuing evacuations for many of the outlying areas. 

So far the air quality at the house is fine. We, thankfully have AC, so the air in the house just keeps getting recycled and goes through the filter. Mike and I just make sure all the doors and windows are constantly shut. At Hunter's school the air quality is fine too. They don't turn on the AC because it pulls directly from outside, but with the weather in the 90's this week it gets pretty stuffy. The air quality at my work in the Student Union has been okay. On Tuesday it was pretty bad, but school started this week and on average there are 10,000 building entries a day. So each time those doors open, the smoke comes in.

Here are some pictures I took last night when Hunter and I were leaving campus. The air quality was actually pretty good in these photos and was just listed as unhealthy.

The sunrise this morning. The sun has been red all week.

The air quality is Wenatchee is worse. They are actually requiring everyone to wear masks at all times. Here is an interesting article about it. Mike and I are taking all the precautions we can and are even considering getting out of town this weekend.

Here is an interesting clip from the article:

"If you think breathing smoke for a few days or even weeks while wildfires rage on is no big deal, you’re wrong.
Health officials say even short-term exposure to the hazardous air in Wenatchee that’s persisted since last week is dangerous for everyone, not just those with health problems.
Is it worse than living in Los Angeles for a year? Yes.
Worse than breathing the ash-filled skies after Mount St. Helens blew? Yes.
“We asked all those questions: How does this compare to smoking for a lifetime, or living in Beijing or Mexico City or L.A.? This is much worse,” said Mary Small, spokeswoman for the Chelan-Douglas Health District."