WINTHROP, Wash. — Officials say the north-central Washington town of Winthrop temporarily had the worst air quality in the country as wildfires in the Methow Valley area continued to burn today.
The National Weather Service in Spokane said on Twitter that Winthrop’s air quality was listed as hazardous.
Two large wildfires in hilly, forested areas near Winthrop and Mazama in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest are keeping part of State Route 20 closed and have also prompted evacuation notices.
Meanwhile:
Smoke and ash from massive wildfires all along the West Coast clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts on parts of the East Coast.
The effects of the blazes are being felt 2,500 miles away as haze hangs over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Strong winds are blowing smoke east from Washington, California, Oregon and Montana.
The nation’s largest wildfire, Oregon’s Bootleg Fire, grew to become half the size of Rhode Island.