Wildfire smoke temporarily shuts down Kiwanis Camp

MT HOOD, Ore. — Smoke and haze from nearby wildfires is forcing the Mount Hood Kiwanis Camp to shut its doors this week. The Grasshopper Fire burning nearby has been covering the area in dangerous levels of smoke, and Kiwanis Camp made the difficult decision to close Wednesday morning. "It is a huge hit for an organization like ours we operate year round but summer camp is only eight weeks, the revenue we get from summer camp keeps us going through the rest of the year," Camp Director Dave McDonald said. While experts agree that no amount of wildfire smoke is completely safe to inhale, the Air Quality Index was in the "very unhealthy" range for Government Camp and Hood River most of Tuesday and Wednesday. Kiwanis Camp, which has been in operation since the 1930s, works with kids and adults who have disabilities, and this closure could cost them upwards of $90,000 in lost revenue. Campers who were impacted by the closure have been refunded.

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