SEATTLE RED

Suits: Seattle air quality wouldn’t be bad if they actually put out the fires

Oct 20, 2022, 12:31 PM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 6:15 am

air quality...

Air quality around Seattle has been bad, so how come the fire hasn't been put out yet? (Photo from Bryan Suits @darksecretplace on Twitter)

(Photo from Bryan Suits @darksecretplace on Twitter)

For the second day in a row, Seattle has some of the worst air quality in the world.

Heavy smoke from several ongoing wildfires in western Washington remain the culprits.

With an Air Quality Index of 197 (out of 500), the smoke has made the air unhealthy according to the Seattle Smoke Blog.

Air quality around Seattle ranked worst in the world

Since Friday, Oct. 14, most of western Washington has been under alert for dangerous air quality.

The conditions were supposed to end Monday afternoon, but the alerts were extended until midnight Thursday.

Two of the largest fires are the Bolt Creek Fire near Skykomish, which has burned more than 14,000 acres and is about 43% contained, and the Loch Katrine Fire about 30 miles east of Seattle, which has burned more than 1,200 acres.

On the Bryan Suits Show, host Bryan Suits discussed why the Bolt Creek Fire has been burning for so long.

“This is the one that they’ve allowed to smolder and all. If they put some water on it, and I’m sorry to throw the DNR under the bus on this one, but customarily fire goes out if you pour water on it,” Suits said. “My question is, at what point does the physical, or the medical cost of 35 days of people that are vulnerable having to breathe this versus going balls to the wall for two, three days in contracting out a bunch of water bombers.”

You can listen to Bryan’s full discussion here:


Listen to the Bryan Suits Show weekday mornings from 6–9 a.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.

People walk in front of garages destroyed in a Russian missile strike on Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, Uk...

Associated Press

Ukraine to present ‘wish list’ for new Russia sanctions under Graham law

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine will present the Trump administration and Congress this week with a wish list of Russian companies, vessels and individuals it would like to see hit with U.S. sanctions under a new law signed by President Donald Trump this month, according to a senior Ukrainian diplomat. Denys Sienik, the chargé d’affaires at […]

9 minutes ago

Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks at the OpenAI DevDay 2026 conference, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in San...

Associated Press

FTC is investigating OpenAI and Anthropic over possible risks to consumers

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into Anthropic and other artificial intelligence companies over dangers their technology may pose to consumers, the agency said Wednesday. The AI giants and other tech companies in recent months have disclosed examples of their AI agents going beyond human instructions, finding their way onto the internet […]

29 minutes ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walks along the Colonnade before President Donald Trump and China's ...

Associated Press

Hegseth confirms that the US military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals as he delivered what he is calling his “State of the Force” address. Hegseth was speaking to junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, the second year […]

32 minutes ago

In this image from video provided by WJLA, police officers gather near the scene of a shooting in M...

Associated Press

Man fatally shoots 2 co-workers at a Virginia business before killing himself, police say

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — A man shot three co-workers during an altercation Wednesday at a northern Virginia business, killing two of them, before he took his own life during a police standoff along an interstate highway, police said. Marvin Grant, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, opened fire at an equipment rental business in Manassas, about […]

33 minutes ago

cooler cloudier weather...

Rebecca Stevenson, KIRO 7 News

Cooler and cloudier weather finishes the week, with a warmer weekend ahead

After a foggy beginning to the middle of the week, the afternoon will become partly to mostly cloudy with high temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s.

43 minutes ago

stolen excavator facebook marketplace...

MyNorthwest Staff

Man tries to sell stolen excavator on Facebook Marketplace, owner recognizes it

A man is facing charges after Pierce County deputies said he tried to sell a stolen excavator on Facebook Marketplace.

49 minutes ago

Suits: Seattle air quality wouldn’t be bad if they actually put out the fires