Smoke from fires far and near blankets valley

By DAVE RICHARDSON Chronicle Staff Writer

A pair of eyes and a working nose is pretty much all you need to know fire season is already hitting Montana hard.

ERIK PETERSEN/CHRONICLE A fiery sunset caused by smoke from forest fires throughout the region silhouettes a mule deer doe Sunday evening near Livingston. Heavy haze from fires near and far continues to blanket the Gallatin Valley in a smoke-smelling layer of brown. Beautiful sunsets aside, the smoke brings with it a host of all-too familiar problems.

And, experts say, it's likely not going away soon.

John Coefield, a meteorologist with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said more than a dozen large fires raging in Utah and Idaho are to blame.

“That's generally where the smoke is coming from, but you're probably also getting some from the Pattengail Creek fire near Wisdom,” Coefield said.

Coefield said smoke from those faraway fires is pretty well blanketing the state, and is likely to linger for days, even weeks. Weather patterns over the western half of the United States are contributing to the problem, causing the smoke to move in almost circular patterns over Montana, he said.

“It's just really hazy everywhere,” Coefield said. “Local impacts will likely come and go. As soon as we get a really big fire, say 45,000 acres or so, it's going to be terrible because we're just not getting any clean air coming in.”

Joe Shaw, a Montana State University engineering professor who designs computer and optical systems to monitor weather and air quality, said a persistent high-pressure system over much of the west continues to suck air from fire-ravaged areas into the state.

“It's really hot air passing through some really smoky areas,” Shaw said.

This year, temperatures in Montana and the Gallatin Valley appear to be running about 10 degrees higher than last year on a day-to-day basis, Shaw said - a situation that could make this year's fire season particularly brutal.

Tim Roark, environmental health director for the Gallatin City-County Health Department, said Gallatin County's air quality Monday was listed by the state as moderate, a level at which people with existing respiratory conditions like asthma and emphysema might experience problems.

“In this type of weather most people won't have issues,” Roark said. “What we normally tell people is let your body be your guide. If you're having issues, you might want to limit your outdoor activities and spend more time inside.”

Visibility is a good way to estimate air quality, Roark said.

For example, the distance from downtown Bozeman to the giant white M emblazoned on the Bridger Mountains is about four miles. Haze thick enough to obscure that landmark could cause problems for sensitive people, Roark said.

In the meantime, don't expect much in the way of immediate relief.

“Typically this happens in August, so we are early,” Roark said. “This is going to be up front and visible for a while.”

Coefield agreed, saying whatever the summer brings, more fires and more smoke are virtually guaranteed.

“We're just waiting to see what happens,” Coefield said.

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