This is KGW news at sunrise.
Good morning and happy Sunday.
Thanks for getting up with us.
I'm Christal Conway,
alongside meteorologist Chris McGuinness.
Now, this morning we are tracking
two major stories in New York City.
It's a day of remembrance on the 21st
anniversary of the September 11th
terrorist attacks on America here at home.
The winds have died down and fire
crews are making progress against two
wildfires that broke out Friday night.
So let's start there and
get today's forecast.
Yeah, and air.
Quality also a big concern for
everyone here across the region.
So let's give you the live
look at the air quality map.
This is the latest live update that
we have from DEQ sensors scattered
across the region and you can see.
Especially in the metro area, the
orange dots taking up a lot of real estate.
Orange on this map represents air quality
that is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
So the young, the old, if you have chronic
respiratory ailments or you're sick,
this is one of the days where you feel the,
you know, the smoke in the air, right?
I can tell you that air quality
will improve through the day today.
So unlike yesterday where it kind of
got worse as we went into the afternoon,
it actually should get better
as we progress through the day.
Today we actually have had a
couple of sprinkles.
Last check of PDX,
we had a sprinkle earlier this
morning and a couple of light rain
showers in parts of the coast range.
More significantly is the weather
system that's driving those is driving
a wind shift across Western Oregon.
So that will help scour out the
smoke as we progress through the day.
That said, it's still pretty hazy out there.
It's mild, it's 63,
it'll be a hazy and warm afternoon.
Crystal,
I've got highs in Portland topping
out in the mid 80s today.
Sounds good. Thanks, Chris.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's
Office says evacuations for the
Mckiver fire have been reduced.
The fire started Friday night burning in
Milo McIver State Park in Clackamas County.
Now Level 3 evacuations have
been shrunk to cover the park
and the roads surrounding it.
At last, check with Clackamas Fire.
The Mckiver fire is contained at 25 acres
with a fire line around it.
Officials encourage
people to stay up to date,
sign up for public alerts and
check out those evacuation.
Perhaps because conditions
could quickly change.
I think the weather would be
our biggest component and how
difficult it is to fight this fire.
And you also mentioned the terrain
that was going to be the two
biggest things I'd say after that.
You know, we have multiple fire
agencies here working together.
Everyone's trained just
a little bit differently,
but our goal is the same.
A reminder from the county not to call 911.
If you need more information about
whether you're in an evacuation
zone instead, check online or call 211.
Now to the vital springs fire in Salem.
Nearly 120 homes face a Level 3
evacuation and more than 500 homes
are facing a level 2 evacuation.
Level 3 meaning go now.
Level 2 means be ready now.
This fire started on Friday afternoon
around 4:00 on the Vita Springs Rd.
South. That's about 7 miles
away from downtown Salem.
Right now, the fire is 100% contained,
but crews say they still
have some work to do.
Fire officials gave us an update this
morning that they do have the fire
100% contained a lot of their focus to
this morning and then throughout the
day is going to be using air assets
to be able to drop fire retardant
around the perimeter of the fire,
as well as using crews to strengthen
lines around the fire per containment.
These conditions can change on a dime,
emergencies can change on a dime,
so I think people should stay alert.
So far, no injuries have been reported
and no structures have been lost.
And no matter where you are in the state,
you're dealing with smoke from these fires.
Now, this is video from Cannon Beach
in Astoria, sent in by Jenna Graham,
and we're tracking the impact on
air quality as the wildfire haze
takes over throughout the region.
Well, there's just a lot of smoke
going around right now. Dry,
windy conditions, fuel,
flames and smoke around the region
for the foreseeable future.
We don't have really an end date at this
point just because of the fire activity.
Harry Estev is with the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality.
He says a lot of the smoke in the
Portland metro area is from the
Cedar Creek fire near Oak Ridge.
The air quality right now is moderate,
which means it's still fine to be
outside doing outdoor activities
or running your air conditioner
or having your windows open.
But in places like Oakridge,
the air quality is is up to the
top of the scale and hazardous.
It's just not safe to breathe that air.
But things can change fast,
so keep an eye on air quality
conditions on kgw.com and online.
Here's a breakdown of the Air quality index.
Green means good, healthy or adequate.
Yellow means moderate air
quality is acceptable.
However, there may be a risk for some people,
particularly those who are unusually.
Sensitive to air pollution.
Orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups,
red means unhealthy.
Some people might experience health effects.
Sensitive groups might experience
more serious health effects.
Purple means very unhealthy,
usually a health alert.
The risk of health effects
is increased for everyone,
and maroon means hazardous at 3:01 or higher.
This marks a health warning
of emergency conditions.
Everyone is more likely to be affected.
That was Brittany Faulkner 's reporting.
Now let's take a look at the
latest air quality index.
Mack from DEQ much of Portland
remains in the moderate range.
But some areas are in orange now
that's unhealthy for sensitive groups.
So if you have respiratory issues.
You're going to want to take
precautions and likely stay indoors
the closer to active fires the worse.
The air quality advisories are in
place for Eastern Oregon and around
the Cedar Creek Fire near Oakridge.
You can all probably remember where
you were on September 11th, 2001,
one of the darkest days in our
nation's history. 21 years ago,
the Twin towers of the World Trade
Center in New York City collapsed,
part of a series of coordinated attacks by
terrorists who hijacked airplanes with the
mission of destruction in New York City.
This morning, the annual reading of
the names of the victims has begun.
We'll also see memorials in
Pennsylvania and Washington DC.
Honoring the nearly 3000 people who
died on that day, there will also
be commemorations here in Portland,
as well as across the country.
Last night,
people came together for an interfaith
candlelight vigil after both a church and
a synagogue were broken into and vandalized.
Within the last month,
the vigil took place in Southwest Portland
I'd Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church.
That church, along with Neva Shalom Co,
hosted the event.
This is video of the
vandalism at Saint Andrews.
As you can see,
the Vandals spray painted the church
inside and out with black paint.
The pastor of that church says she is
thankful for the community support.
The number of people that have spontaneously
offered financial contributions or offers,
their prayers and their willingness to help.
So much compassion,
so much love.
Both faith leaders say
forgiveness is essential,
so the congregation are praying
for the person or persons
who committed the vandalism.
Portland's homeless crisis
has the city facing
a new lawsuit coming up next
why people allege the city is breaking
federal law by allowing people to
camp on sidewalks all around town.