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Several Las Vegas residents took to social media on Saturday evening to report poor air quality and thick smoke blanketing the area. Many noted that the usually visible mountains were obscured by haze.
“The smoke is bad here in Vegas today. You can barely see the strip from all the wildfires around here,” one person shared on Facebook.
Another wrote, “Heavy duty smoke in Vegas can’t see the mountains at all. Fires all around us is why.”
As of 5:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) for Las Vegas was 45, which is considered good.
While there are no major wildfires burning immediately near Las Vegas, two significant fires are active in the region:
Cat Canyon Fire – Burning in East Cat Canyon, northeast of Beatty in Nye County, Nevada. This fire is approximately two hours from Las Vegas.
Dragon Bravo Fire – Currently burning in the North Rim area of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, about four hours from the city.
Smoke from these fires may be drifting into the Las Vegas Valley, affecting visibility.