How to Find Where Wildfire Smoke in WA Is Coming From

A couple of weeks ago, I was running down Wenatchee's Number Two Canyon and became startled by a massive jet stream of brownish gray wildfire smoke. The band of smoke was seen moving high above the Wenatchee Valley, flowing northeast to southwest above Badger Mountain.

Smoke from British Columbia has once again drifted into Washington State.

When I got home, I opened my laptop and discovered that the smoke flowing over Wenatchee was originating from the Placer Creek Fire in lower British Columbia. The Placer Creek fire began the weekend prior.

Smoke from this fire has been the primary source of the residual smoke we saw in the Wenatchee Valley on Wednesday evening.

Where is the Placer Creek Fire?

It's about 30 miles northeast of the Osoyoos, Washington/British Columbia border crossing. It was burning out of control and had burned 2,600 hectares.

Where can I look on the internet to see where wildfire smoke is coming from?

A few years ago, I discovered a Canadian website that not only shows you where wildfire smoke is coming from, but also how the smoke forecast will affect you in the coming days. It comes from the BC Wildfire Service.

Click on this helpful wildfire smoke map and bookmark it.

A couple of things to know about this BC Wildfire Service website.

1) When you first find the smoke map, select the Smoke Forecast button. The map will come to life, showing where current wind conditions are directing wildfire smoke and where the smoke is forecasted to travel in the coming days.

2) Since it's a service of the BC Wildfire Service, it doesn't give any information on fires here in the US, but it does show where the smoke flows from any wildfires north and south of the border.

Where can I find information about wildfires in Washington?

The Watch Duty app for any device.

The Washington DNR fire dashboard is active throughout the fire season and shows up-to-date information on wildfires affecting Washington state.

View a full-screen version of the DNR fire dashboard with this link.