( CNN ) A fiery sunset greeted people in Washington Sunday . The deep reddish color caught Seattle native Tim Durkan 's eye . He photographed a handful of aerial shots of the sunset warming the city 's skyline and shared them on CNN iReport . The stunning sunsets were the result of raging wildfires in parts of Siberia . `` The dramatic sunsets began showing up over the weekend and had Seattle locals wondering where the amber-colored haze was originating from , '' Durken said . The fires were started in southeastern Siberia , by farmers burning grass in their fields . But on April 14 , it is believed that the flames quickly grew out of control because of strong winds and spread throughout the region , according to CNN affiliate KOMO-TV . As a result , the fires have destroyed dozens of villages in the region . Rescue crews were able to put out the flames . However , the lingering smoke from the widespread fires were picked up by atmospheric winds . The winds carried the smoke from Siberia across the Pacific Ocean and brought it to the Pacific Northwest . Parts of Oregon , Washington and British Columbia are seeing the results of the smoke , wind and solar light combination . The reason people are seeing an intense red sunset is a result of smoke particles filtering out the shorter wavelength colors from the sunlight like greens , blues , yellows and purples , KOMO-TV said . That means colors like red and orange are able to penetrate the air unfiltered . The colors are especially intense during sunrises and sunsets because there is more atmosphere for the light to travel through to get to a person 's eye . As the smoke starts to dissipate , air quality will get better and these fiery sunsets will lose their reddish hue .
smoke from massive fires in Siberia caused fiery explosions in the Pacific Northwest . Atmospheric clouds carried smoke from the wildfires across the Pacific Ocean . dust particles carried smoke from the sun , creating a more intense color .