Published 9:57 am Thursday, April 30, 2026 A smoke plume from a prescribed burn in the Deschutes National Forest pushed air quality in Bend into “very unhealthy” levels Thursday morning, with pollution peaking during the early commute and as children headed to school. The air quality index, or AQI, reached 260 in northeast Bend at 6 a.m. and 196 in southwest Bend by 8 a.m., according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. AQI levels above 201 are considered “very unhealthy,” meaning health risks increase for all groups. Officials with the Deschutes National Forest have been conducting prescribed burns west of Bend in recent weeks to reduce fuels and lower wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface. Much of the recent activity has been concentrated in the Tiddlywinks area west of Seventh Mountain Resort. Spokesperson Jaimie Olle said smoke from Wednesday’s ignitions initially drifted west and southwest before shifting direction overnight.…