Wildfire smoke settles in to area

Lake Ballinger Park, Wednesday evening 8-5-2026
Photo by David Carlos

Wildfire smoke settled into our area during the afternoon and early evening on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. For most of the day it was hazy, but slowly settled downward in the late afternoon.

Lake Ballinger reflected the gray-pink sky
Photo by David Carlos

On Wednesday, there was no question about smoke being here. By late afternoon it was in the treetops, moving lower and lower. The smoke muted the sun and turned the gray smoke cloud a pale pink, reflected in the lake below.

Lake Ballinger photo by David Carlos

A few people went to fish in the lake, not concerned about breathing smoke. The paddleboarder fished for a while, then just relaxed and drifted on the still waters.

--Diane Hettrick