Missoula News

Hazy Days of Summer

Western Fires Send Smoke into Missoula Skies

By Jessica Mayrer, 7-16-07

Skies above Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley are starting to take on that familiar summer-time haze that indicates fire season is in full swing. 

A handful of large fires in Idaho, including several in the Payette National Forest, are putting out a great deal of smoke, which is then carried by the air stream into the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys, says Bitterroot National Forest spokeswoman Nan Christianson.

Several large fires burning in Nevada and Utah could also be sending some smoke our way, she said.

(Missoula’s closest fires are burning in the Bitterroot Valley, but as of yet, most are small and being controlled quickly. East of the Continental Divide on the Rocky Mountain Front, two large fires are burning. Click here for the roundup of Montana fires and here for a West-wide rundown.

But while blazes scorching the West send smoke our way, as of Monday, air quality shouldn’t be a problem for people going about their daily routine, said Erik Englebert, Air Quality Specialist for the city of Missoula.

On a scale of good, marginal, poor and descending into a series of alerts, Monday’s air quality reading was marginal, Englebert said. Those very sensitive should take it easy, he said, but for most people it should not be a problem.

Air quality will probably improve as the day wears on, Engelbert said.  Haze is common in the morning, but as the temperature rises, so does the air with warm air carrying the smoke up and out of the valley, Engelbert said.

“The smoke should go up and out,” Englebert said.

For more on Missoula air quality click here.

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