PHOTOS: Smoke blankets the Salem area, casting an apocalyptic glow
Smoky skies over the Oregon State Capitol around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 (Ron Cooper/Special to Salem Reporter)
Smoke from multiple wildfires burning in the Santiam Canyon area and around Oregon blew into the Willamette Valley starting Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, Salem residents woke to dark orange and red skies.
Air quality in Salem as of 11 a.m. Tuesday was moderate, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with particulate matter being the main pollutant. The quality was significantly worse up the canyon, with air reported as hazardous in the Lyons area.
Vehicles head south through smoke from wildfires on I-5 near the Ankeny Hill exit at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Smoke makes for a red-orange sky over downtown Salem early on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 8 (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Smoke-tinted skies make for a dramatic backdrop for the pioneer atop the Capitol on Tuesday, Sept. 8. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Cars drive through heavy smoke on South Commercial Street the evening of Monday, Sept. 7, in Salem (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)
Smoke creeps over Silverton on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Winds pushed smoke from wildfires in the Cascades into the Willamette Valley, creating a sense closer to dusk that daylight. (Leslie Harvey/Special to Salem Reporter)
Smoke creeps over Silverton on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Winds pushed smoke from wildfires in the Cascades into the Willamette Valley, creating a sense closer to dusk that daylight. (Leslie Harvey/Special to Salem Reporter)
Smoke from the Beachie Creek fire envelops the sun looking east from Brooks around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 (Courtesy/Theresa Lee)
Soot covers Salem Police Department cars parked at City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (Courtesy/Salem Police Department)
