You don’t usually think of smoke benefiting firefighters, especially their health, but the pollutants over a very widespread area are modifying the weather, making it a little easier to corral the numerous wildfires in some areas.
Below is an excerpt from The Weather Network.
Thursday, July 2, 2015, 5:14 PM – Even as plumes of heavy smoke from Alberta and Saskatchewan wildfires force thousands from their homes, officials find a silver lining, as the smoke is actually keeping the fires more under control.
Evacuation centres in central and southern Saskatchewan are reportedly housing at least 5,000 people as of Thursday, all displaced from their homes by thick smoke drifting down from wildfires burning in northern parts of the province. The evacuations were prompted by the significant health risk this smoke represents, and Environment Canada has issued special air quality statements for northeastern Alberta, all of Saskatchewan and all but the northeastern regions of Manitoba in response.
Despite this health risk, though, the thick smoke is actually having a beneficial impact on the very fires that are producing it in the first place.
“As much as it’s not good for people, because the cloud layer filled with smoke and is so thick, our temperatures are roughly 10 degrees cooler and our humidity is 10 to 15 per cent higher,” said Steve Roberts, Executive Director of Saskatchewan’s Wildfire Management Branch, according to the Canadian Press. “That combination means the fire activity drops significantly.”
“It’s helped us secure, especially, those fires that are close to communities by putting people on the ground and getting some hose lines in place.”
But, the smoke is a double-edged sword. Sometimes the reduced visibility grounds firefighting aircraft:
Smoke hampering wildfire fighting in Saskatchewan #skfire #skwildfires http://t.co/FqPmQEBO1R pic.twitter.com/AJAZ48exE5
— 650 CKOM (@CKOMNews) July 3, 2015
The video below of a wildfire in Saskatchewan is stunning. It appears that the photographer was quite close to a very, very active fire.
If your device can’t handle the video above, try it at this site.
To see the most current smoke reports on Wildfire Today, visit the articles tagged “smoke” at https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/smoke/
