(UPDATED Monday, Sept. 8, 9:00 a.m.)
A southerly wind pushed smoke from the Happy Camp Complex of fires over the state line during the weekend, raising air pollution levels into the unhealthy zone in the Rogue Valley.
A Sunday evening update pegged the fire size at nearly 97,000 acres, the largest fire currently burning in California.
Meanwhile, air quality in Medford and Grants Pass reached the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range. A later reading put Medford's air solidly into "unhealthy" for all breathers.
Large plumes of smoke could be seen from Medford, both from the Happy Camp Complex, and from the 790 fire burning in the Cascades north of Prospect.
A shift to a westerly wind blew much of the smoke directly into Medford by mid-afternoon on Saturday. A similar weather pattern repeated on Sunday afternoon
A red flag fire warning was in effect for much of the region until 11 PM Saturday. The warning means temperatures and winds are high and humidity is low, perfect conditions for rapid fire spreading.
But slightly cooler temperatures and higher overnight humidity on Sunday prompted the National Weather Service to allow the Red Flag Warning to expire.
