Smoke from the Bear Gulch wildfire north of Lake Cushman near Hoodsport has been bringing air quality in Sequim to unhealthy levels. By noon Wednesday morning the State Department of Ecology’s Air Quality Index had dropped within the moderate range to 52. 

However, heavy smoke appearing in Sequim and Port Angeles yesterday had reached unhealthy levels of 183 by 4 am this morning before beginning to recede according to the Washington Smoke Blog, a partnership between state, county and federal agencies and Tribes. 

The Bear Gulch wildfire burning on the north side of Lake Cushman is the primary source of smoke.  The nearby smaller Tunnel  Creek fire has also been contributing to the smoke.  As of Monday, Bear Gulch had burned 10,843 acres and is 9 percent contained. The fire received less than a tenth of an inch of rain Sunday, moderating the fire behavior in the short term.  The lightning caused Tunnel Creek fire is 290 acres and zero percent contained.