The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory for Klamath and northern Lake counties due to numerous wildfires burning in the region. DEQ also expects other areas of the state may see intermittent smoke from ongoing large wildfires, including eastern Douglas and northeast Jackson counties. The wildfire smoke combined with forecast conditions will cause air quality levels to fluctuate and could be at unhealthy levels. Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on the weather. Smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs and worsen some medical conditions. People most at risk include infants and young children, people with heart or lung disease, older adults and pregnant people. People can take the following precautions to protect their health: - Follow local burn restrictions to prevent deteriorating air quality. - Avoid strenuous outdoor activity during periods of poor air quality. - People with heart or lung problems and young children are especially vulnerable. These people should stay indoors while smoke levels are high. - Use certified High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in indoor heating, ventilation, cooling and air purification systems. - Avoid using wood-burning stoves and other sources of indoor smoke if possible. DEQs color-coded Air Quality Index provides current air quality conditions and ranks air quality as follows: Green is good. Yellow is moderate. Orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory conditions. Red is unhealthy for everyone. Purple is very unhealthy for all groups. Maroon is hazardous. For additional information. please visit the web site at https://oregonsmoke.org
