Lightning struck on August 1st, about 30 miles west of me in sunny Bend, Oregon starting what is now called the Cedar Creek Fire.
Sadly it is a beautiful area surrounding a crystal clear water lake where kayaking you can see over 60 feet in visibility.
Here are 2 photos from a kayak trip with friends last year on Waldo Lake. The surrounding forest in these 2 photos trip. The forest in these photos no longer exists as it has burned.
The US Forest Service has been attacking the fire by air and ground, but in the past week winds and dry hot air caused it to double in size to almost 90,000 acres, and 0% contained. Over the past week, as the wind shifts around the smoke has been bad at times with yesterday being the worst at a hazardous 429 AQI at my house.
My neighborhood last week with some of the smoke coming over from the fire. This only lasted a few hours before the wind moved south and then back west.
My neighborhood yesterday September 12th, 2022.
Today the air is still smoky and too…