SPOKANE, Wash. - Several wildfires continued burning throughout Washington and Idaho Monday. One of the biggest blazes burned near Lewiston, ID called the Cache Creek Fire, which charred 45,000 acres so far. It's only 40 percent contained.
An air quality advisory and burn ban is in effect for the Nez Perce reservation through next week. Fire there produced enough smoke that it left leave large areas of Idaho and Washington in a haze. KHQ found the wind carried the smoke as far as Spangle, WA and was particularly hazy on Sunday.
"It seems hazier this time with the fires down south," Louise Mead said, a Spangle resident. "I'm used to it. I'm from here, I live on a dirt road so you have to get used to it but it's hard on the lungs sometimes."
By Monday, the air quality levels returned back to the "good" range throughout most of Washington despite a double whammy of smoke from wildfires and dust from the harvest season.
KHQ meteorologist Dave Law said smoke from the wildfires could continue throughout the week, especially with dry lightning expected Tuesday evening in the Central Idaho Panhandle and northeast Oregon.
Officials with the Spokane Regional Clean Air Authority remind viewers that it's extremely important to be aware of air quality and how it will affect their health.
Current Air Quality Page: http://www.spokanecleanair.org/air_quality.asp. You can also sign up for EnviroFlash email notifications and/or download smartphone app to get air quality notifications.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency: http://www.spokanecleanair.org/news.asp?id=582
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