Smoke and haze from regional wildfires moves into Carson City area
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 09/06/2018 - 6:58am
Wildfires burning around the region have contributed to deteriorating air quality Thursday morning with the Carson City area getting the brunt of smoke and haze that began to move in overnight, according to AirNow.Gov.
As of 7:50 a.m. Carson City had an Air Quality Index reading of 146, putting it in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category. Gardnerville had a reading of 69, and Reno and Sparks areas, 55, putting them into the "moderate" category. This may change if winds begin to shift, according to the National Weather Service.
Although general public is not likely to be affected at the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" category, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air.
A "Moderate" category means the air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Meanwhile, the Boot Fire which is burning closest to the Douglas County and Carson City region was at 4,620 acres with no containment as of Wednesday night. Evacuations and road closures grew overnight as the fire behavior was extreme.
Eevacuated residents and campers spanned from the Leavitt Meadows campground, Leavitt Meadows Pack Station and the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center. The structures in Devil’s Gate Pass, Swauger Creek and Fales Hot Springs, four miles south of US 395 and Sonora Junction are under a mandatory evacuation. Ranchers are asked to be prepared to move livestock out of the area south of Highway US 395 and State Route 108 Sonora Pass in the event livestock evacuations are necessary.
Road closures now span from US 395 at Holbrook Junction, Nevada State Route 208 north of Topaz Lake to the North end of Bridgeport due to rolling boulders, unsafe trees and continued fire operations through Walker River Canyon. Sonora Pass, State Route 108, is closed at the Mono Tuolumne county line to Highway US 395.
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