Contact: Ralph Pribble, 651-757-2657
St. Paul, Minn. ― The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has received a number of reports of heavy smoke and the deposition of ash in northeastern Minnesota. The smoke and ash are from the Pagami Creek fire, which has expanded significantly in the last week.
Between midnight and 8:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, hourly pollution measurements at the air-monitoring station near Ely reported fine particle pollution at levels considered very unhealthy. This monitor is about 20 miles east of Ely and two miles northwest of the current western fire boundary. The increase in pollution levels at the air monitor near Ely is consistent with the southerly shift in wind direction.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, pollution levels at the monitor near Ely had dropped significantly below levels of health concern. The morning peak in measured air pollution confirms that smoke associated with the Pagami Creek wildfire has the potential to reach very unhealthy levels. Because the MPCA cannot monitor or precisely predict where the smoke may travel, citizens are encouraged to take precautions if they find smoke in their area.
Air pollution in the very unhealthy category has the potential to cause significant aggravation of existing heart or lung diseases, particularly among children and the elderly. Healthy people may also experience a significant increase in respiratory effects. The MPCA encourages people to avoid areas of heavy smoke. If you cannot avoid areas where smoke is present, the MPCA recommends staying indoors with the windows and doors closed and minimizing physical exertion.
Pollution monitors near Duluth, Finland, Grand Portage, Grand Marais, Thunder Bay, and Tofte continue to show pollution concentrations below levels of health concern. However, these monitors only reflect air-quality conditions around the monitor. Areas to the north and east of the Pagami Creek fire have the potential to experience periods of unhealthy air quality.
Predicted pathways for smoke from the Pagami Creek and other forest fires are available on the National Weather Service’s Upper Mississippi Valley Air Quality Forecast Guide. When on this site, choose “1Hr Average Surface Smoke” from the Guidance Element drop-down menu. Use the Element Period menu to select the time for which you would like to see the predicted smoke pathway.
The MPCA website has information about the health effects of wood smoke.
Hourly air pollution information is available via the MPCA’s Air Quality Index website.
Updates on the extent of the Pagami Creek fire are available at http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2534.
