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There’s a chance the haze caused partly by smoke from the Camp fire raging in Northern California could be cleared by a front around Thanksgiving, but confidence that will happen is low. “We keep getting our hopes up,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Misty Firmin. “The models keep showing something ... then as it gets closer in time, they just kind of fizzle that out. But there’s been longer-term indications showing that we’re going to start transitioning to more wetter, cooler patterns.” On Thursday, one forecast model suggested a smoke-busting front would arrive Wednesday, Nov. 21, while another showed it wouldn’t arrive until late Thanksgiving Day. “There are timing differences, there are strength differences,” Firmin said. “That really leads to a lot of low confidence, so I can’t really speak much to details on it just yet.” By Thursday, the Camp fire had grown to 140,000 acres and was considered 40 percent contained, according to the Incident Information System. It roared to life Nov. 8 and destroyed most of the town of Paradise. So far, 56 people have been confirmed dead, InciWeb said. Officials said Thursday 297 people are missing, more than twice the number released a day earlier. More than 5,400 personnel are battling the flames, including a group of Rogue Valley firefighters from six departments called Strike Team 7. Smoke from the Camp fire arrived in the Rogue Valley Tuesday. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality data shows air quality has been “moderate” in Medford since 7 p.m. Tuesday, and crept close to the next level — “unhealthy for sensitive groups” — at 11 p.m. Wednesday. The air is worse in Grants Pass, Cave Junction, Klamath Falls and Roseburg, where air quality had dipped to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” Thursday. Smoke from the Camp fire is just a contributing factor to the recent declines in air quality, DEQ officials said. “But I don’t know how much of a contributing factor,” said Katherine Benenati, Oregon DEQ public affairs specialist. “We also suspect that some of this is local conditions from wood stoves. Just knowing how much ... is really impossible to say.” The agency plans to issue an air quality advisory for the region, though it will be a bit more generic than previous ones, Benenati said. “We’re not sure of the exact timeline, but it is a good reminder for people that we do see these conditions during the winter,” Benenati said. “And you really should be keeping an eye on the air quality index this time of year.” Reach web editor Ryan Pfeil at [email protected] or at 541-776-4468. Follow him on Twitter at @ ryanpfeil .