UPDATED 10:30 a.m., July 6

Hazy skies over the Olympic Peninsula and other parts of Western Washington are a result of smoke from wildfires in British Columbia, Canada.

Jefferson County residents have reported seeing a haze. On July 5 in the Deer Park area west of Port Angeles in Clallam County, some people experienced ash, as did residents on Vancouver Island.

More than 50 new wildfires started in British Columbia during the July 4-5 weekend, some of which have burned homes and created community emergencies. Smoke from fires in the Fraser River Valley primarily and on Vancouver Island have been carried by winds into western Washington; smoke is also intruding into eastern Washington.

Although there was a wildfire in the woods south of Brinnon – believed to have been caused by fireworks – on July 4, it was not producing significant smoke on July 5.

More than 1,100 acres have burned in the Paradise Fire in the Queets River Valley on the other side of the Olympics, but smoke from that wildfire apparently has had little impact outside of the immediate, remote fire area, with some smoke drift to the south.

In Port Townsend, there is no smoke smell, just a haze that on July 5, obscured the view of the Olympic Mountains.

CLALLAM COUNTY

The haze and ash were more acute in Clallam County, leading to Sam Phillips, chief with Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue and president of the Clallam County Fire Chiefs Association, to ask people to do two things if they are reporting a fire. First, provide an exact address or GPS coordinate of their sighting of the smoke. Second, advise the call takers at 911 whether or not they see a column of smoke and if they do, whether it is getting larger and to identify the color. Fires that are growing typically have dark brown or black smoke. A column of smoke typically indicates the location on the ground nearby the caller’s location, Phillips noted.

CLEAN AIR

Persons with questions about drifting smoke, smoky skies, ash fall, and health concerns should contact the Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency at 360-539-7610 or toll free at 800-422-5623. ORCAA office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Persons with Internet access may obtain additional information on the ORCAA website.