Where are wildfires creating the most smoke on Colorado’s Western Slope?
Areas near active wildfires, like Leadville, had the worst air quality, while other mountain towns, like Silverthorne, are also seeing poor conditions
Smoke is continuing to waft through the mountains from wildfires burning in Colorado and neighboring states, prompting health advisories due to air quality.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an air quality health advisory through at least Tuesday morning for more than a dozen counties, including Summit, Lake, Chaffee and Park counties.
“Clearly the areas in close proximity to fires will continue to see the heaviest smoke, yet we also want folks throughout the Advisory area to remain aware that impacts will remain possible at different times each day, with potential for rapidly changing conditions,” state health officials wrote in the Colorado Smoke Blog.
The air quality index — a measurement that translates air pollution data into a standardized scale from 0 to 500 — was above 100 in Silverthorne, Edwards, Avon and Basalt on Monday morning, a level considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Throughout much of the rest of the Western Slope, the air quality index was between 60 and 80, or “moderate,” according to the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program.
In Colorado, five major wildfires — the Willow Fire in Lake County, the Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray County, the Aspen Acres Fire in Pueblo County, the Ferris Fire in Dolores County and the Snyder Fire in Mesa County — are contributing to the smoke. The air quality index is elevated in areas around the fires.
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In Leadville, the air quality index hit 196 on Monday morning, a level considered “unhealthy.”
If smoke is thick or becomes thick, public health officials recommend staying indoors and considering limiting physical activity. This is especially true for sensitive people, such as those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses and the very young or older adults, according to the state health department. If visibility is less than five miles, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy for all.
To check the local air quality visit fire.airnow.gov. For more information on the impacts of wildfire smoke on health, visit CDPHE.Colorado.gov/apcd/wildfire-smoke-and-health.
