Firefighters are planning a burnout Tuesday for the 842 Fire in the HD Mountains.
Roads and trails are being used as containment lines, which have been improved by removing hazard trees, brush, and any other debris.
Three hundred more acres are expected to be added to this lightning-caused wildfire, which totaled 743 acres as of Monday evening. Fire crews will utilize drip torches to produce a low-intensity fire.
"Smoke from the fire will be more visible as we expect significant acreage growth as a result of today's operations," said Lance Martin Type III Incident Commander. The public can expect to see moderate amounts of smoke along Colorado Highway 151 and U.S. Highway 160 in the areas around the HD Mountains and Chimney Rock National Monument. This evening and overnight, people should take extra caution because smoke may settle into the surrounding valleys and reduce visibility.
San Juan Basin Public Health has issued an air quality health advisory for the 842 Fire.
The health department advises that if visibility is less than five miles, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion; everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill.
If smoke is thick or becomes noticeably thicker in the air, people should consider remaining indoors or if possible seek out locations where air is filtered, according to a release from the health agency. Unusually sensitive people throughout the HD Mountains and Chimney Rock National Monument should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion.
Other tips:
Close windows and doors and stay inside. However, do not close up your home tightly if it makes it dangerously warm inside.
Only if they are filtered, run the air conditioning, your evaporative cooler, or the fan feature on your home heating system (with the heat turned off). Keep the outdoor air intake closed and be sure the filter is clean. Filtered air typically has less smoke than the air outdoors. Running these appliances if they are not filtered can make indoor smoke worse.
Use HEPA room air filtration units if you have them.
Avoid smoking and/or secondhand smoke, vacuuming, candles, and other sources of additional air pollution.
Do not use paper dust masks; these do not filter out the particles and gasses in smoke.
As temperatures cool in the evening, inversion conditions worsen and smoke in low lying areas may become thicker, especially if the outdoor air is still. It tends to be worst near dawn.
Close bedroom windows at night.
To prepare for nighttime smoke, consider airing out your home during the early or middle of the afternoon when smoke tends to be more diluted. Use your best judgment. If smoke is thick during the day, follow the tips above.
Updates and news releases are posted on Inciweb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5481/ and the San Juan National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan. For more information, please contact Chris Tipton, Columbine District Fire Management Officer at 884-1427, or the Columbine District Office at 884-2512.
