Park Fire largest on West Coast, poor air quality persists in eastern Oregon

Wildfires continued to tear across parts of the western U.S. on Monday, including one of the large blazes in California state history.

Dangerous fire weather notices, known as red flag warnings, and air quality alerts were in place in Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon, urging residents to prepare for gusty winds and low humidity that "can lead to rapid growth and very high intensity of any new or existing fires," the National Weather Service said.

As of Sunday, 103 large fires were being targeted by firefighters across the U.S., according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In northeast Oregon, fires have led to highway closures, affecting local businesses such as Tyler Fouts' Blue Mountain Fine Art studio in Baker City. Semitrucks carrying bronze and sand Fouts uses to make sculptures haven't been able to make deliveries, he told USA TODAY.

"They seem to open and close the highway off and on," said Fouts, 65, who has been in Baker City for 20 years. "I'm just hoping it goes away."

Fouts said Baker City is about 20 miles north of the nearest fire, and the community hasn't been told to evacuate yet. Over the weekend, evacuations were in effect for more than 20 fires nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

5 wildfires converge in Oregon

In Oregon, where officials say lightning has sparked fires, the body of a missing airplane pilot was found Friday after his plane went down while battling a fire.

In northeast Oregon, state officials said Sunday more fire responders are being sent to tackle blazes near the town of Wallowa, where five fires converged over the weekend, the Wallowa County Chieftain reported.

"The team is being ordered in anticipation of unfavorable weather in the area later in the week," the Oregon Department of Forestry said on their Facebook page Sunday night.

Smoke outlooks across five countries in eastern Oregon said "unhealthy" air conditions are expected to persist Monday and Tuesday, after a weak cold front moves through the area, according to the U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.

“You do get concerned that it will get worse, that the smoke will get worse, because at some point it does get really unhealthy to be outside," said Fouts, adding that some of his friends experience headaches and allergy-like symptoms from wildfire smoke.

Farther west, La Pine, recently registered an Air Quality Index of 233, breaking into the "very unhealthy" category, according to state air quality officials.

On Monday, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced it had order four hand crews from the Oregon National Guard.

ODF is able to order resources as needed from the National Guard through Gov. Tina Kotek’s state of emergency declaration.

“The wildfire situation on the ground is dynamic and challenging, and we need all hands on deck,” Kotek said. “I want to thank the Oregon National Guard for their dedication and cooperation in fighting Oregon’s wildfires and protecting Oregon’s communities and natural resources.”

The hand crews include 92 people, with 22 firefighters per crew, according to the news release. Air Guard crews will staff two crews and the other two crews will be staffed by Army Guard personnel.

Suspect in Park Fire is due in court

Thousands of firefighters responded over the weekend to the Park Fire, which started Wednesday after authorities say a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then fled. Ronnie Stout, 42, accused of starting the Park Fire, which has grown to become the largest in the state this year, was due in court Monday, according to a Butte County District Attorney news release.

Live footage of the wildfire on California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website Monday showed flames glowing atop hillsides, creating multiple streams of dense gray smoke near Colby Mountain in Tuolumne County.

State officials said Sunday night that the fire is 12% contained and burning more than 360,000 acres near Paradise, California, a town that saw severe damage from wildfires in 2018.

Borel Fire decimates historic mining town

A handful of other fires in California are together burning more than 82,000 acres, state officials said. A blaze called the Borel Fire is "expected to be, once again, very extreme," the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said late Sunday.

Destruction from the Borel Fire includes the historic mining town of Havilah, California, where gold was discovered in the 1860s. By the early 1900s, the lucrative deposits were depleted and Havilah became a ghost town, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Havilah, except for a handful of structures, from the northern edge to the Walker Basin is a complete loss, officials reported, according to the Desert Sun.

One of the few buildings to be spared was Havilah's old schoolhouse, KGET Bakersfield reported.

'Critical' fire conditions in Utah

The National Weather Service said much of Utah will face weather conditions through Tuesday that can easily cause more fires, including wind gusts up to 30 mph and humidity as low as 5%.

The conditions will be the most dangerous across southern and central Utah through Monday, the weather service said, before shifting to higher elevations in northern Utah Tuesday.

Red flag warnings in effect in Wyoming

In Wyoming, where a plane crash sparked a wildfire Friday, several red flag warnings are in effect until Tuesday, when wind gusts are expected to subside and possibly allow for clear conditions, the National Weather Service said.

Seven people died in the crash that happened north of the town of Gillette, in Campbell County. By Saturday afternoon, firefighters had contained the fire caused by the accident to 38 acres, according to a Campbell County Fire Department press release.

As of Monday, there were at least three active fires still burning in the county, according to a national wildfire tracker, and Campbell County Public Information Officer Leslie Perkins told USA TODAY there was no update available on the fire caused by the plane crash.

In Idaho, warm temps could fuel 'extreme fire' conditions

In Idaho, which in July has seen nearly triple the number of wildfires compared to June, roads and trails northeast of Boise were closed Monday, according to Idaho Fish and Game. Most of the state's active fires are in its northern half, or panhandle. One of the largest fires in the state is burning near the town of Fish, Idaho.

The weather service also issued forecasts for Idaho saying fire-spurring winds could decrease overnight Monday is some areas, while elsewhere, warm temperatures through Tuesday could lead to "extreme fire behavior."

Contributing: Salem Statesman Journal; James Ward, Desert Sun

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires cause persistent poor air quality in eastern Oregon