Occurred Oct 18, 2026, 8:00:00 PM UTC

First published Oct 19, 2026, 3:12:16 AM UTC · Last updated Oct 19, 2026, 3:12:16 AM UTC

Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 43.877°N, 118.863°W — Near Burns, OR, United States

NOAA HMS classified a satellite-observed smoke area near Burns, Oregon, as heavy density, observed on October 18, 2026, from 20:00 to 23:30 UTC. The source states this is not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.

At a glance

Affected location: Near Burns, Oregon, United States

Illustrative image: Fire burns next to I-5 sending a plume of smoke up through the canopy of trees. — Oregon Department of Transportation/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

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Why it matters

It documents a heavy-density smoke extent near Burns, while providing no ground-level air-quality or health-alert information.

Location

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Generated scores

Scores are based on the cited reporting and use a 1–10 scale. Read the methodology.

Confidence: 7/10How certain the assessment is based on the clarity and evidence in the cited reporting.
Geographic reach: 2/10How widely the event reaches, from a local area (1) to worldwide impact (10).
Global importance: 3/10The event's broader significance, from limited importance (1) to major global importance (10).
Impact magnitude: 2/10The scale or severity of the real-world impact, from minor (1) to extreme (10).
Urgency: 2/10How time-sensitive the event is, from low urgency (1) to immediate attention needed (10).

Primary official sources

NOAA HMS Smoke Detection Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 43.877°N, 118.863°W — Near Burns, OR, United StatesNOAA/NESDIS Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Usage terms

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Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 44.288°N, 118.484°W — Near Prairie City, OR, United StatesOct 18, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
The source reports a NOAA HMS classification of heavy-density satellite-observed smoke near Prairie City, observed from 20:00 to 23:30 UTC on October 18, 2026. It states this is an observed smoke extent, not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.
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Medium satellite-observed smoke area centered at 44.454°N, 118.276°W — Near Unity, OR, United StatesOct 18, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC
NOAA HMS classified the satellite-observed smoke as medium density, with GOES-EAST observations from 2026-10-18T20:00:00Z to 23:30:00Z. The source states this is an observed smoke extent, not a ground-level air-quality measurement or health alert.
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Nearby · within 200 km
Medium satellite-observed smoke area centered at 44.160°N, 118.598°W — Near Prairie City, OR, United StatesOct 18, 2026, 5:00 PM UTC
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Nearby · within 200 km
Heavy satellite-observed smoke area centered at 44.044°N, 118.754°W — Near Drewsey, OR, United StatesOct 18, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC
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