Air quality alerts continue; unseasonably warm October weather to blame, say experts KIRO 7 News Seattle

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Smoky, dirty air hangs over the Puget Sound like a blanket as wildfires continue to burn across the state.

The Bolt Creek Fire is still a big contributor. The air is likely especially bad around Snohomish County, where it is easy to see the thick haze and orange glow.

The air quality app confirms the air is in the unhealthy category and will likely stay this way for a bit longer.

The smoke is not good for people to be breathing that smoke, said Marcia DeRuiter, a nurse. It gets in their lungs and causes lots of issues.

Those issues include a lot of bellyaching.

Right, and that is just all that dry fuel thats just getting burned, said Lisa Kreiderman, the NOAA meteorologist assigned to the Bolt Creek Fire.

Kreiderman says to blame it on the unusually dry and sunny weather we’ve been enjoying this mid-October.

It is so dry, she said. And we have certain locations near the fire that have broken records being the driest for October so far and have broken some dry-in-September records. So were very dry and warm.

Fiery, too. That includes the relatively new Murphy Lake Fire near Scenic Washington. So far, 170 acres have burned and it is 0% contained.

But the Bolt Creek Fire, at more than 14,000 acres scorched, is by far the most stubborn.

Firefighters have heard the criticism that they aren’t doing enough to put out the flames. However, they insist the risks are too great.

Were the fourth team on this fire, said Don Ferguson, Bolt Creek Fire spokesman. The objectives have always been to protect life and property, keep the fire in a broad box. And then to the north of it is a wilderness area. Theres no place for a firefighter in there. Its steep and rocky and the fire is expected to just burn up into those rocks.

It is difficult finding out how many wildland fires are burning in Western Washington. Some are on state land, and others are on federal land.

But it is safe to say firefighters are battling several fires.

So, like everyone, they are looking to the skies hoping for some relief soon.

2022 Cox Media Group

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