As an unexpected way to start off spooky season, a fire known as the Nakia Creek fire was set ablaze northeast of Portland in Larch Mountains by what Clark County officials say were two couples who attempted to set off fireworks in the area. 

At first, the fires were contained and weren’t deemed a serious threat, but because of a mix of high temperatures and strong winds, the fires spread throughout the Portland and Washington State borders in no time at all, growing to damage approximately 1,656 acres of land as of October 17th. People from an estimated 3,000 homes were put under a mandatory evacuation notice, while about 33,780 more were given a warning notice.

                                                      Picture of the Nakia Creek fire burning in Washington State.

The smoke from the fires clouded Seattle, Portland, and the skies of other cities for days, bringing along some of the worst air conditions we’ve ever faced, and people are talking about how they’ve become more wary of when they go outside and have had to make adjustments to their schedules ever since the polluted air first made its appearance. 

Firefighters fought to keep the wildfires at bay, soon allowing cities to reopen several roads they previously closed. Luckily, the wait for rain was soon over as rain everyone’s been deprived of aid in clearing areas of smoke and fire, raising 30% of fire containment to 43% in just 24 hours. However, as enjoyable as the rainfall was, people were advised to be cautious of slick roads and potential clogging of drains and gutters due to the heavy rainfall. 

The impacted cities are recovering as the rain washes away the last of the fires, and more favorable weather conditions are expected to come back and give us the crisp fall air we’ve been looking forward to. 

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/17/evacuations-nakia-creek-wildfire-washington/https://www.axios.com/2022/10/17/us-wildfires-washington-state-evacuates-thousandshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wildfire-burning-control-portland-forcing-thousands-evacuate-rcna52536https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/us/nakia-creek-fire-washington.htmlhttps://www.koin.com/news/wildfires/heavy-rains-aid-fight-against-the-nakia-creek-fire-but-also-bring-risks-for-firefighters/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/20/seattle-portland-air-quality-wildfire-smoke