Forest fires that have blazed for days in central Washington state have taken a toll on the region’s air quality, state officials said Thursday, with smoke darkening the skies and residents told to stay indoors with their windows shut.

Near Wenatchee, Wash., a town of nearly 32,000 residents known for its apple orchards, air quality reached a hazardous zone for the first time since the state began monitoring pollution from small particles, including smoke, in the 1980s, the state’s ecology department said.

The smoke hazard in that region has for days been about three times as high as any other recorded levels. “We have the worst air-pollution readings we’ve ever seen in the state,” said Janis Gilbert, a spokeswoman for the ecology department.

via Air Quality Endangered by Fires in Washington – WSJ.com.