QuickTake:

Meteorologists said high winds are blowing wildfire smoke as far north as Portland and Vancouver.

Smoke from the East Evans Creek Fire, located about 26 miles north of Medford, crept its way into Lane County on Wednesday, July 15, and down the Willamette Valley toward Portland.

The fire, which started Friday afternoon, has ballooned to over 7,500 acres as the winds continue to fan the flames, making it the largest wildfire of this season. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked Oregon’s Emergency Conflagration Act shortly after it started, mobilizing firefighters — including those based out of the Eugene and Springfield area — from across the state to contain the blaze.

High atmospheric winds are blowing smoke north down the Willamette Valley as far as Portland and Vancouver, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley.

Although haze is visible Wednesday, the smoke remains high in the atmosphere, posing no real health threat, according to Matt Sorensen, a Lane Regional Air Protection Agency spokesperson. The smoke is expected to remain aloft through Thursday morning. 

If similar conditions remain, Sorensen doesn’t anticipate issuing an air quality advisory for Eugene and Springfield. An official smoke advisory requires a 24-hour impact on air quality. However, other parts of the state, such as Bend, Medford and Crater Lake, have already seen spikes in their air quality indexes.

The southern Willamette Valley has enjoyed a relatively quiet start to the summer fire season.

“I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it continues that way [in Lane County]. It’s just a matter of time until we have some wildfire impacts,” Sorensen said. “With the hot, dry weather we’re having, if a fire gets going, we’re likely going to be dealing with some air-quality issues.”