An air quality advisory issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) remains in effect for Jefferson County, along with northern Crook and southern Wasco counties, through at least Friday, August 28, 2026, as thick wildfire smoke continues to affect communities across Central Oregon.
DEQ and partner agencies are continuing to monitor conditions and have warned that readings could remain in the unhealthy range through the weekend depending on wind patterns and fire activity. Residents are urged to check current air quality readings at AirnNow.gov or the Oregon Smoke blog at OregonSmoke.org before heading outdoors.
Who Is Most at Risk
Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that can penetrate deep into the lungs. Health officials say those most at risk include:
- Children and infants
- Adults 65 and older
- People with asthma, COPD or other respiratory conditions
- Pregnant women
- People working outdoors, including agricultural workers
What You Can Do
When air quality is rated Unhealthy or worse, health officials recommend staying indoors as much as possible, keeping windows and doors closed, and running air conditioning on recirculate mode rather than drawing in outside air. A box fan fitted with a MERV-13 or higher furnace filter can serve as a low-cost air purifier.
Oregon State University Extension Service recently distributed 150 such air-filter kits — box fans paired with filtration filters — to residents of Warm Springs and Deschutes County to help communities cope with ongoing smoke events. (See related story.)
Outdoor workers, including farmworkers active during the summer harvest, are strongly encouraged to wear N95 respirator masks rated for smoke particles. Regular cloth or surgical masks do not filter fine particles effectively.
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Remain
Stage 2 public use fire restrictions remain in place across public lands in Central Oregon, including Jefferson County and the Warm Springs Reservation. Under Stage 2 restrictions, all campfires are banned on public lands, and the use of charcoal briquettes, wood pellets, and gas or propane stoves with an on/off switch is prohibited without a Forest Service-approved fire pan or stove.
Jefferson County Fire & EMS closed the use of burn barrels county-wide effective August 4 for the remainder of the 2026 fire season.
Residents with questions about local restrictions can contact Jefferson County Fire & EMS at (541) 475-4403 or visit CentralOregonFire.org for a current restrictions map.