Originally published by The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality.
Photo courtesy of Pima County DEQ
The green waste fire located at Tank’s Ina Road Land Reclamation Facility on west Ina Road near I-10 continues emitting smoke into nearby areas. Smoke may continue to be present for several more days as the vegetation in the large stockpiles continues to smolder. Work is being done by facility staff and Northwest Fire District to extinguish the fire as quickly and safely as possible, however, it could be several more days before the fire is completely out.
Tips for reducing smoke exposure:
If you smell smoke in the area and are sensitive to smoke, you may want to limit your exposure by staying inside and reducing your level of exertion if you need to be outside.
Check to see if your air conditioner has a fresh air intake, and if it does, close it. This will help prevent outside air from coming into your home.
If smoke is coming in from under your doors, you can dampen a towel and lay it down along the bottom of the door to catch some of the smoke.
Keep the inside air as clean as possible by not smoking cigarettes or cigars or burning candles, as these increase indoor air pollution. Postpone vacuuming if possible, because that can stir up dust particles that are already inside your home, which will add to the air quality problem.
Don’t rely completely on face masks to eliminate all smoke exposure. The best way to protect yourself or someone you care for is to limit time outside when it is smoky.
If you are at risk with lung or heart disease or other medical conditions that increase your sensitivity to smoke, follow the advice of your health care provider.
If the smoke persists to where it is bothering you, consider temporarily relocating to a friend or family members home or somewhere where the smoke is not present.
Real time air quality readings are available from Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s air quality monitoring sites. The monitoring site closest to this location is the Coachline site. However, depending on which way the wind is blowing, the air monitor may not pick up smoke particles.
Contact: Beth Gorman (520) 724-7446; beth.gorman@pima.gov
