DENVER (KDVR) — Boulder County officials were asking residents not to call 911 as wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon drifted into the Front Range on Thursday night.
A large smoke plume made its way across the western U.S. on Thursday, increasing concentrations of particulate in the air starting in western Colorado and pushing into the northern Front Range urban corridor.
The region’s hot, dry weather, combined with out-of-state wildfire smoke, means the area is inching towards the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” level of air quality. An “Action day” alert was issued Thursday through 4 p.m. Friday for the ozone and fine particulate.
“We anticipate both ozone and fine particulates to be elevated through this evening, so avoiding prolonged or heavy exertion is recommended through late tonight,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated on its wildfire smoke blog. “Fortunately, as we stated in our last post, we don’t expect this smoke to be around for an extended period of time.”
The health department said that a cold front on Thursday night should bring in cleaner air overnight and improve air quality for areas like Julesburg, Sterling, Fort Morgan and Akron by Friday morning.
While the cold front will decrease ozone levels, the front is not expected to impact particle concentrations, which could remain elevated for a longer period of time, according to CDPHE.
“Health impacts from prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke can linger even after the air quality improves, so it may be a good idea to plan on reducing exertion through at least tomorrow afternoon,” the health department said.
The agency said it is also monitoring Colorado for increasing wildfire smoke, as east-central and southeastern parts of the state, including Burlington, Lamar, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, could see increased particle pollution overnight Thursday and continue into the Friday morning commute.
“The same can be said for northwestern parts of the state with the possibility for a larger smoke intrusion tomorrow afternoon in places like Steamboat Springs and Granby,” CDPHE said.
People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion while pollutants are high.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
