In the midst of the COVID pandemic, it was one week before the start of online school. Labor Day appeared to have slightly above average heat at 91 degrees, but there was no cause for concern. There were a few relatively contained fires on the opposite of the Cascades from an unbothered Willamette Valley. I went to bed that night worried about the prospect of Zoom class, and woke up the next morning in an apocalyptic nightmare. The sun was a bright orange and easy to look at, as the layers of thick smoke blocked its shining rays. It became impossible to stand outside for more than a few minutes without feeling the need to cough. The smell was difficult to escape, as the smoke seeped through into our house. Three days later, the start of ONLINE school was postponed over a week. My hometown had never seen anything like it.
Afternoon skyline of Eugene, Oregon in early September 2020
Within one day of being perfectly normal, Eugene recorded its highest levels of air pollution ever. What is considered unsafe to go outside is a "hazardous" API level of 300. Eugene reached levels between 450 and 500. Eugene was one of the first cities to be suffocated by the smoke, and on that first day of September 8th, Eugene recorded the worst air quality in the world. The smoke eventually affected all of the Willamette Valley and southwest Oregon. For two weeks, Western Oregon had the worst air quality in the world.
Air Quality Index of Eugene, Oregon in 2020
Throughout that August, several fires were caused by lightning. The forest grounds were dryer than normal, increasing the average wildfire activity in the region. The main inciting incident of these fires was a historic wind event on Labor Day. What had been all been relatively contained fires ballooned overnight. The Beachie Creek and Lionshead fired combined into a massive inferno, and all other fires began to spread west. The strong winds carried the smoke over the Cascades, causing it to be trapped within the Willamette Valley for weeks. The state population at the time was 4 million people, and within a week 40,000 were evacuated, and half a million were on alert to evacuate. Over a million acres of land were torched, and eleven individuals passed away.
Map of Labor Day Fires in 2020
References
Hough, Merlyn. Wildfire Smoke Impacts on Oregon Air Quality In ..., www.4cleanair.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Wildfire_Impacts_on_Oregon_Air_Quality_in_September_2020-Merlyn-Hough.pdf. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
KLCC | Elizabeth Gabriel. “Local Schools Postpone First Day of School Due to Wildfires.” KLCC, 16 Sept. 2020, www.klcc.org/education/2020-09-10/local-schools-postpone-first-day-of-school-due-to-wildfires?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Oregonforests, oregonforests.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/Beachie-Summary-Sheet.pdf. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
Robichaud, Dylan. “What Weather Conditions Led to the 2020 Labor Day Fires?” KEZI 9 News, 12 Jan. 2022, www.kezi.com/news/firewatch/what-weather-conditions-led-to-the-2020-labor-day-fires/article_c4e97b27-7683-5a07-b216-bbf62dbdd28d.html.
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