Denver, CO
Colorado weather: Wildfire smoke continues to choke the state, prompts hazardous air quality alerts
Wildfire smoke moving into Colorado from Canada and high ozone levels continue to choke the state Wednesday, prompting alerts for hazardous air quality.
As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Denver and most of the surrounding area had air quality index ratings between 100 and 150, according to live tracking data from IQAir.
“When AQI values are above 100, air quality is considered to be unhealthy, at first for members of populations at greatest risk of a health effect, then for the entire population as AQI values get higher (greater than 150),” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Multiple air quality stations in Denver, Arvada and Pueblo reported “unhealthy” AQIs above 150 on Wednesday.
State officials also reported unhealthy levels of ozone in the Denver area Wednesday morning.
Air monitors across northern Colorado and the Front Range showed high concentrations of particulate matter, which can be smoke, soot, ash or liquid particles that people can inhale.
Denver air monitors Wednesday recorded rates of particulate matter nearly seven times higher than the level considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the agency’s fire and smoke map.
State health and air quality officials issued a “multiple pollutants” action day alert Tuesday that will last through 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Warm and stagnant weather combined with increasing amounts of out-of-state wildfire smoke will result in ozone and fine particulate matter concentrations reaching unhealthy levels for air quality, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials said in the action day alert.
The air quality advisory was issued for Douglas, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Denver, Adams, Broomfield, Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties, but poor air quality is being seen across eastern Colorado, state officials said.
Where possible, people should limit driving gas and diesel-powered vehicles until 4 p.m. Wednesday, the alert stated.
At 9 a.m., the “multiple pollutants” action day alert expanded to include Teller, El Paso, Fremont, Pueblo, Kiowa, Bent, Otero, Sedgwick, Logan, Phillips, Morgan, Yuma, Washington, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Custer, Huerfano, Las Animas, Baca, Gilpin, Clear Creek and Park counties.
“Heavy smoke will result in elevated concentrations of both ozone and particle pollution through at least Thursday morning,” state officials said.
The new alert will remain in effect until 9 a.m. Thursday.
“People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and limit time outdoors,” state officials said in the alert. “Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion and, while outside, take more breaks.”
State officials said people should stay inside if smoke becomes thick in their neighborhood and should consider temporarily relocating if smoke is present indoors or making residents ill.
If visibility is less than 5 miles due to smoke in the area, the air quality has reached unhealthy levels, state officials said.
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Originally Published:
Denver, CO
Pedestrian fatally hit by Frontier airplane departing Denver for Los Angeles, flight canceled after
Posted:
Updated:
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” the airport’s official X account wrote.
Neither the airport nor the airline has disclosed the pedestrian’s condition.
“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that and “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted.
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