West Coast Wildfire Smoke Reaches Europe

Western Montana has been dealing with "Unhealthy" rated air quality for some days now, but the wildfire smoke keeps coming. In fact, the Associated Press reports that the smoke has reached Britain and other parts of Northern Europe. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather forecasts said the fires have emitted an estimated 33.4 million tons of carbon. The smoke has been settling in the Bitterroot Valley, blocking our views of the mountains and creeping inside our homes.

Forest fires west of us in Idaho include the 4,000-acre Sunnyside complex south of Orofino, the 11,500-acre Sissler Fire near Elk City and the 913-acre Marion and 1,955-acre Beaver fires on the Powell Ranger district of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest. But what about those fires in Washington and Oregon. We looked at the largest ones on Inciweb.

In Oregon, there's the Riverside fire -138,000 acres, the Lionshead at 189,000 acres, the Beachie Creek at 191,000 acres, the Archie Creek at 128,000 and the Holiday Farm at 170,000 acres. In Washington State, the Pearl Hall fire has burned 223,700 acres, the Evans Camp fire has charred 75,000 acres and Big Hollow is at 23,000. There are numerous smaller fires, too. Officials said at least 334 people have died in fires on the West Coast. The wildfires started with a lightning storm, followed by wind. In Oregon, the acres burned is double the 10-year average.