Air quality alert issued as Wenatchee wildfires burn

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- A major air quality alert has been issued for residents in the Wenatchee areas as wildfires continue to threaten homes.

Officials issued the alert after flames burned through grass and brush overnight in the hills above Wenatchee. The high winds that pushed the flames earlier in the week are now gone, leaving behind the smoke to sit stale and cause concern.

Those who couldn't avoid working outside were seen wearing face masks as a precaution.
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"It's not very good. My eyes are burning. My throat is sore," said one worker picking up trash.

"It's kind of hard to describe, really. It's like it's hard to breathe," said area resident Rodney Dye.

Cooler weather overnight helped hold wildfires in Eastern Washington, but they remain a threat as dry conditions continue, and the National Weather Service says dry, windy weather is increasing the danger in Western Washington.

A spokeswoman for fire managers, Connie Mehmel, told The Wenatchee World Wednesday that lines held overnight at fires near Wenatchee, Entiat and Cashmere. Evacuation warnings remain in place for about 150 homes near Wenatchee.

With dry winds in the forecast, the Weather Service has a fire weather watch is in effect Wednesday night and early Thursday in parts of Western Washington including the west slopes of the Cascades and the Puget Sound basin. A red flag warning for critical fire danger is in effect Wednesday night and Thursday for southwest Washington, including Vancouver.