Wildfire smoke visible in Unalakleet.
John Henry writes:
On the morning of June 15th, 2018 near 8:11 AKDT, I smelled burnt wood akin to a forest fire near Unalakleet that happened last year. Compared to last year's fire, the haze did not envelop the hills with the density and volume, but was apparent on a lesser scale. The forest fire smell was not as acute as last time, but was still noticeable. The wind was blowing from a easterly direction and felt about low to mid-range in the average speed. The distance to the hills near the town where the haze subsided was on the order of tens-of-miles away. The distance to the hills in the outlying area south of Unalakleet were significantly farther way, but the haze was visible and seemed to be more dense.
LEO says:
This observation has been shared with the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, and and the Environmental Health Department for the Norton Sound Health Corporation.
According to wildfire researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, there are two current wildfires burning near Unalakleet. The Unalakleet River Fire currently covers 1,135.2 acres, and is burning northeast of the community and southwest of the North Fork in Unalakleet Valley. It is spreading at a moderate rate of speed among black spruce and tundra. A smaller, unnamed fire, covering less than an acre, is burning southeast of the community. Using the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Historical Fire Map we can see that there were three fires in the vicinity of Unalakleet last year, two of which were up North River/North Fork, and one near the confluence of the Tenmile and Unalakleet Rivers.
Resources:
The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center has a series of resources available to residents, including maps of current and historical fire information, current fire weather and fire danger for regions of the state, and air quality information and advisories.
Many people have varying degrees of sensitivity to wildfire smoke. Through the AirNow, the EPA has a variety of resources available to help people maintain respiratory health when a wildfire is burning nearby. Find out How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health and what you can do to stay healthy.
The EPA is also conducting more research on how smoke affects air quality and public health. Using the SmokeSense mobile app, researchers are collecting information from those who have been exposed to wildfire smoke. More information about this study, and how to participate, can be found on the SmokeSense Fact Sheet.
