I think to make sense of the West Coast Smoke you have to think in terms of volcanoes that seriously change the weather

 Why?

Because like the previous article says this smoke is unlike anything ever seen before and when you get into this kind of category you have to start thinking about how Volcanoes are known to change climates for 1 to 3 years or more depending upon how long they continue to erupt. For example, in Hawaii they have a name for it, Vog instead of smoke and fog. So, they call it Vog or "Volcanic Smog". They have this name because when it happens it can be difficult to breathe anywhere downwind of this Vog. And this Vog (just like the smoke in California now) can occur ANYTIME OF THE YEAR!

As long as we aren't getting rain here in California these fires or ones like them are likely to still be burning in December 2020 and in January 2021. However, supposedly it will rain in the Portland area by Monday so that should help them some.