Ash falls like snow in Seattle as wildfires rage in Pacific Northwest - and other stories

Just some of the headlines and photos of the fires in the West.

This is scary!

Here's a look at the Portland skyline Tuesday morning

Stay Inside and Keep Your Windows Closed, Because Portland’s Rain of Ash Might Get Even Worse Today

"If you don't have AC, it's going to be unpleasant at best and if you have breathing problems, it could complicate things more."

The Eagle Creek Fire, burning through the Columbia River Gorge since Saturday afternoon, yesterday started dumping ash on Portland— a phenomenon that which longtime Portland residents haven't seen to this degree since Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

And residents are feeling the poor air quality, which is currently measured to be at 152 in Portland and 156 in Gresham, which is considered an "unhealthy" level.

The National Weather Service has released an Air Quality Alert, in effect until Friday at noon, explaining that the worst conditions are expected to continue through the day today. They are encouraging people to limit outdoor activities as much as possible, especially for those who have breathing problems.

WA Dept of Ecology‏Verified account @EcologyWA

Almost all of WA is awash in wildfire smoke today. http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/?m=1 

9:25 AM - 5 Sep 2017

Eagle Creek fire crosses the Columbia River: I-84 closed

Ash falls like snow in Seattle as wildfires rage in Pacific Northwest

Ash fell like snow in the Seattle area Tuesday morning as Washington’s wildfires sent plumes of smoke into the atmosphere.

It was so thick that dispatchers serving Eastside Fire and Rescue received concerned calls about smoke in the area and ash settling on cars.

“There is no local fire,” reported the department, which serves the Issaquah, North Bend and Carnation areas. “If you do see flames, please report it to 911 and crews will check it out.”

Haze covered the state from corner to corner, satellite images showed

A real photo taken by California Deer Association

This is near the Helena fire North West of Weaverville, Ca and Highway 299

Wild horses burned to death in Chilcotin highlight horror of wildfires

The discovery of a herd of wild horses burned to death in a Chilcotin forest is a grisly reminder of the potential impact of this summer’s wildfires on wild animals.

Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation said Thursday that eight adult and two young horses died when fire swept through a lodgepole pine forest off the Nemiah Valley Road. The scorched carcasses were photographed earlier this week by Xeni Gwet’in rangers.